Lopud

Esplanade is studded with pretty houses and gorgeous Italianate villas.In the middle is the Đorđić-Mayner Park,a Renaissance garden full of exotic plants,pines,palms,and plenty of cool shade.A few steps beyond lies the ruined palace of Miho Pracat,the 16th century merchant shipowner whose bust stands in the Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik. Lopud folk tales sought to explain how Pracat came by his fabulous wealth.He is said to have robbed Dubrovnik cathedral's treasury to pay for his business ventures,one of which involved exporting the city's cats to North Africa,where he had chanced upon a plague of rodents.Further on,by the path that leads to Šunj beach,is the Grand Hotel,a rare major work by Nikola Dobrović.