Croatian delights - The Day of the Jackal
Continuing Thursday Sky Atlantic/Now
Croatia is no stranger to the emerging trend of “set-jetting”. (See what they did there?) Both Dubrovnik and Split, in the south of the country, are inundated with Game of Thrones fans, all trekking down those steps looking to re-create their favourite scene. The north, however – its regions sitting roughly on the same latitudes as Venice or Bologna, across the Adriatic – has remained relatively unexplored… Until now.
But Eddie Redmayne and his cast-mates descended on those northern provinces last autumn in order to film the big-budget TV version of The Day of the Jackal. The original novel, though mainly based in London and Paris, galloped across Europe, following the exploits of an assassin for hire. As it’s brought up to date for Sky Atlantic, we’ll see most of the Croatian scenes in the later episodes. But it’s immediately obvious why this country is so appealing to location scouts: sure, there are the tax incentives, which means productions as diverse as Doctor Who, James Bond, Succession and the aforementioned Game of Thrones have been drawn here – but it’s the stunning, unusual and diverse landscapes that keep them returning.
I start with a couple of nights in the capital, Zagreb, its architecturally striking airport posing as an Andalusian terminal in The Day of the Jackal. Zagreb feels like a quieter Berlin – northern European architecture, riddled with history on every corner – still on the long road of healing from a war of independence that only ended in 1995. I base myself in the Sheraton (marriott.com), a hotel that serves as a useful metaphor for the city: grand architecture, incredibly welcoming and still undergoing renovations.
The place has a real bar and café culture, with the Michelin-recommended Pod Zidom Bistro (podzidom.hr) signalling its trajectory: local, seasonal, innovative and friendly. The unlikely cultural highlight is the Museum of Broken Relationships (brokenships.com) – dedicated to failed love. Its exhibits include personal objects left over from former lovers, accompanied by brief descriptions, and at first it’s amusing, then altogether more moving I purchase a souvenir rubber that reads “Bad Memories Eraser”.
Into the rest of the northern country, it’s a two-hour drive to the Adriatic coast, and Opatija. It was in a picturesque caravan park (rivijera-opatija.hr) where many scenes for the new drama were filmed, and it overlooks a turquoise sea, craggy tumbledown cliffs, and clusters of pastel-coloured buildings with a hint of the Wes Anderson about them. The town itself dates back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire; the elites summered and swam in the crystal-clear waters here.
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Today, institutions such as the Hotel Imperial (liburnia.hr) retain this grandeur, and the pretty town remains geared around tourists, with several excellent seafood offerings. Try the restaurant Plavi Podrum, with its harbour views, in neighbouring Volosko; the seaside fine dining of Tavern Zijavica; or the elevated, dramatic sea views of Restoran Bevanda.
It’s in Bevanda that I’m first introduced to Croatian wine. It’s not that widely available – because they selfishly drink it all before it leaves the country – but a wine region tour around this beguiling country would be worth a trip on its own. (“I tasted it while I was there,” Redmayne told Radio Times, “and it was exquisite.”)
Down the road in the city of Rijeka – another filming location – I spend time in a city that was awarded the title of European Capital of Culture in the fateful year of 2020. Still, this buzzy metropolis has a flourishing arts scene and a patchwork, charming quirkiness derived from its port-town roots and variety of rulers: the Austro-Hungarians, the kingdom of Yugoslavia, the communists of Tito’s rule… an ideal balance of glamour and grit.
Split, Zadar and Secrets of the North Yacht Cruise for 7 nights
Along clear highways and twisting coastal roads, revealing painting-worthy vistas at almost every turn, I drive towards the port of Lika Senj to catch a car ferry over to Pag, a key location in the series. Out on the Dalmatian Archipelago, I dock on a moon-like landscape, the setting sun turning the bleached rock shades of mauve. “The beauty of Pag… it was like you’re on the moon, it was otherworldly,” says Redmayne.
The island has a reputation for excellent roast lamb; for Paski sir, a salty sheep’s cheese; and for open-air clubbing (don’t do all three at once). But it was for the sweeping, rocky hills, secluded blue-sea coves and dramatic plains that Jackal elected to film here. It’s also one of the sunniest places on the Adriatic, with 2,500 hours a year – quite useful if you need to keep warm while on the run from MI6. If you’re able to hand over your real passport, however, the Hotel Pagus (hotel-pagus.hr), with its sunset views of the Adriatic, will do very nicely.
In writing about northern Croatia (and Croatian wine), it feels like I’m spilling a closely guarded secret, but over-tourism in the southern cities means that it’s high time to shine a spotlight (or searchlight?) on this epic, charming, friendly and beautiful region. It’s just ironic that it’s taken a show so centred around the clandestine to do it.
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