Introducing Vis – the beautiful Croatian island that’s starring in Mamma Mia 2!
Here we go again. A decade after the original film was released, a sequel to Mamma Mia! is set to arrive in the UK next week – hopefully Pierce Brosnan has had some singing lessons.
As well as creating something bordering on hysteria, the first installment of the saccharine musical provided a timely boost to the Greek island of Skopelos, where the movie was shot, with fans flocking to its shores just as the nation’s economy started to tank.
A portent of what’s to come, perhaps, for the Croatian island of Vis, where the follow-up was filmed (a rise in visitors, that is, not economic failure).
Vis puts on something of an act in the movie, masquerading as it does as the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. In real life, however, the island has a distinct character of its own, albeit one that’s more befitting of a spy novel than a musical.
Indeed, the island was used by Yugoslavian revolutionaries during the Second World War to plot against Axis invaders. In true revolutionary spirit the plans were hatched in a grotto known today as “Titova spilja” – or Tito’s cave, which is open to tourists.
“This was the place where, during the war, the leader of the Yugoslav partisan forces retreated to mastermind operations,” says Telegraph Travel’s, Adrian Bridge, who wrote about the island in 2014. “The cave was sparse (it was presumably better furnished in Tito’s time), but for a military HQ, the beauty of the sheltered hillside setting could not be faulted.”
After the war, Vis became an important Yugoslavian naval base and was off-limits to tourists until 1989. The tiny island has remained under the radar ever since and according to the latest census it is home to just 3,617 inhabitants. Quite how they’ll react to thousands of Mamma Mia! fans singing and dancing on their beaches remains to be seen.
Vis has a tiny footprint – it comprises just 35 square miles – and much of the island appears in the new flick. However, most of the action takes place in the village of Komiza, which is sandwiched between the limpid waters of the Adriatic and the vertiginous flanks of Mount Hum.
If sleepy Komiza takes the lead role, then Stiniva is the undisputed co-star. Flanked by rugged cliffs, this white pebble cove is no stranger to the spotlight having been voted “Best Beach in Europe 2016”.
Vis is also renowned for its vineyards, which produce both red and white wine. Our scribe, Adrian Bridge, wasn’t particularly impressed; “rough and ready” was his verdict of the local plonk, though he still seemed to drink it in reasonable quantities.
Perhaps the main stumbling block for Mamma Mia! fans will be the dearth of accommodation on Vis, which is why most of the cast opted to lodge in private villas or yachts.
The island’s sole hotel is Hotel San Giorgio (from £88 per night), which is located down a narrow cobbled alley in Vis Town.
“The ambience is low-key and relaxing, discreetly sophisticated but unpretentious,” said our destination expert, Jane Foster, in her review. “This centuries-old stone house has been carefully renovated, and the interior design is modern.”
Whilst filming on the island, Amanda Seyfried reportedly bedded down at the six-bedroom, 16th century Palazzo Kut in Vis Town (from £700 per night). Colin Firth, meanwhile, is believed to have lodged at the five-bedroom Villa Serena (from £382 per night), also in Vis town. Both are available to rent through Vis Villas, which has a selection of properties on its books.
It was on a scooter trip across Vis that Adrian Bridge fell for the island’s sleepy character and undiscovered charm, although how long this will last post-Mamma Mia 2! remains to be seen. Go right this minute, before Pierce Brosnan starts singing.
