Rab; Island of Art

Rich in history and heritage, full of mediterranean spirit - Rab is an excellent destination to be discovered by fine art and heritage lovers, offering a unique surroundings of comfort and beauty.Town Rab is a visual feast for lovers of architecture and history and it looks like a museum on the open, while the island is a treasure of beautiful landscapes; from woods, gardens, sandy lagoons, crystal rocky bays, to the barren stone-desert.

Island is very bussy during the summer months / July-August and recommended time for visit is spring- early or late summer. Then you can combine your relax holiday, swimming and beach time with the nice cultural tours and sightseeings, without being stressed out by the crowds one can enjoy more authentic experience. You can appreciate island more in an easy and relaxed manner; the cafes, bars, restaurants are filled with locals and there is a number of local gatherings to enjoy too.

ACTIVE TOURIST: cultural tours
The tours are tailored depending on how long or short you stay and after interest. Enjoy your visit to Rab - these Thematic cultural itineraries will bring you the chance to spend your holidays differently; get to know the island microworld, discover stunning sights, architecture, heritage and meet the locals.
All tours are tailor-made, organised from mid. March to mid June and September-October months, outside the big summer heat and tourist crowds. Packages are modified after your desire, budget and time and they are available on idividual ( 1-3 pers.) or small group ( 3-15) basis.



Except all those amazing historical sights with great artworks in the old town of Rab and surrounding villages, island also offers great landscape sights and other inspirational motives for the painters and photographers as well as art lovers and historians.
From pictoresque every day details, to stunning views, landscape and seascape, superb athmosphere to fine lighting necessary for fine eyed to interesting and engaging traditions and historical sights...

- "Ars Isolaneo" - holiday painting; where better to paint than on an adriatic island with intensive colours and forms. Open- air painting on the beautiful sights of Rab after individual preferance landscape, architecture, people, elements of nature compositions or simpple abstract on the mediterranean light. ( Studio space - on lease only. )


Day-routine: 4-5 h work or negotiable

- "Bella vista tour" - Island Photowalks- hidden island scenary with local guide. Requirements:- qood walking shoes and a photo-camera- basic photography knowledge

This Art activities are suited for hobbyists, smaller fun groups and individuals, either proffessional or hobby artists.





- "Historical town walk"

- This tour offers the best and complete perspective on this enchanting island and town. All about local history, visit to all the important sites and hidden corners. What you do not find in the guidebooks or on your own. Rab is a visual feast for lovers of historical architecture and looks like a museum on the open. - 3h






- "Myths and legends" - enjoy the local storytelling and literature, hear about the local heritage and legends. all on miracules that took place here, patron saint and how to beat your enemy, forbiden love of a shepard..
- cca 2-2,5h











- Meet members of Rab Croissbow association - learn the history of crossbow, about the local crossbow association and revival of history - Rab Fjera - 2 h.





 




- "Rab tour + franciscan monastery" - Combination of town Rab sightseeing and a walk and visit to franciscan monastery in Kampor. This tour combines a town Rab sightseeing with 40-45 min. promenade walk along the seaside promenade ( 2, 5 km) to the franciscan monastery. In the monastery we visit an interesting ethno collection, art galery, the atrium and the wonderful interiors of the reneissance church of St. Bernardine. Plenty of time for conversation and more local heritage is main characteristic of this tour. - 4h

All Tours and activities after appointment any time from: 15.03.-20.06. and 01.09.-15.11.

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History of Art

Those interested in history of art can enjoy fine artworks from reneissance ( altar paintings, fine examples of goldsmith furniture in sacral arts, reliques, woodworks, hand-written manuscripts, icons) to great monumental sights dating to r0manesque and reneissance era.

Here overview of the places of interest and artefacts for cultural nomands and general public interested in history of arts and humanities;

Parish church of the Holy Mary;
- Pieta and Baptistery, 15 ct. Petar Trogiranin - Chorus 1445 - Ciborium 9 ct. - Jesus Christ relief, Byzant 8 ct. - Altarpainting Virgin and a Child, 14. ct, Guariento d’Arpo - Altar painting The Assumptiont, late Venetian baroque (between 1746 and 1756) - Altar marmor Intarsia with St. Christopher ( 17 ct.) - St. Christopher reliquiem - variouse holy artefacts ( crucifixes, censers, cups, ..) - Stucco von sp?t venezianische Barok; 18 Jh. Clemente i Giacomo Somazzi - organs by Petar Nekic from 1756, renovated - an altarpiece of Virgin and Child, 14th century, supposedly by Guariento d’Arpo.
- The church of St. Anthony the Abbot; an altarpiece of St. Joa and Anthony, work of Mateo Ponzoni
- church of St. Andrew next to benedictine closter; - a renaissance crucifix with a depiction of Lamentation. - Altarpiece by the Venetian painter A. Novelli from 1765. - Cretan-Byzantine painting of the Virgin Mary with Christ in her arms 16th century, with silver-golden icon frame made by a Venetian 18ct goldsmith. Copy of the Paolo Veneziano polyptych ( original at Bostom National Museum US).
- The church of St. Justine; - altarpiece with a depiction of St. Justine and characters from the Battle of Lepanto from the 17th century by a Flemish painter, Baldasare d’Ana. - King Coloman gift to Rab: enamel cross plates, 12 ct. - another altarpiece with the depiction of Death of St. Joseph, by the Venetian painters’ workshop 16- 17 ct. - Virgin with Christ in her arms and the angels, by a Spanish painter Zuano Buschet 16th century. - sacral collection in period 11-18 ct.
- Church of the Holy Cross; - Virgin with Christ in her arms and the angels painting, Venetian settecento. - Stucco on the sealing work of Clemente ? Giacomo Somazzi 18 ct.
- Church of St. Anthony of Padua; - altarpiece depiction of Virgin with Christ in her arms and the angels by unknown Venetian baroque painter 17ct.
- Portals: Palace Crnota, Palace Nimira, 15 ct works by sculptor Andrija Alessi

Places of interest on the island:

- Santa Eufemia monastery in Kampor: - polyptych, workshop of brothers Antonio and Bartolomeo Vivarini 1458 - tabulatorium - late baroque - lapidarium with different artefacta ( reliefs, sarcofag of Manda Budrisic ...) - Icona "Madonna with a Child" -unknown master/ period - pinacoteca of works by Fra Ambroz Testen ( modern art) - biblioteca, small ethno museum

- St. Peters in Supetarska Draga - benedictine monastery with well preserved romanesque church

- sarcophagus from the 5ct. next to the St. Stephens church in Barbat that also holds a valuable altar crucifix from the 6 ct. BC - one among the 10 oldest ones in Croatia.

Contemporary art

For those of you more into modernart - fine art shows of the resident artists and regular exhibitions of the eminent croatian contemporary artists are held regurarly at the Duke's palace art caffe in the old town of Rab.

Island is also a home to the art group Ulliks which holds regular annual shows for St. Nicolas day and an annula art colony with invited artists from Croatia and abroad.

Every year at the grounds of Suha Punta an art colony where the artists work outdoors.
Invited artists include painters, sculptors and applied artists. Open to visitors.