Rab © Croatian National Tourist Board
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Rab island
Rab is an island just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea, previously the frontier between Liburnia and Dalmatia. Spanning 93 squared km, Rab is one of the greenest islands in the Adriatic, its sweeping pine forests and sandy beaches lending the island a magical air.
Rab is smug in its status as one of the sunniest places in Europe. The island's mild climate is maintained by the three ridges that protect it from the cold winds of the Velebit mountains.
The historic centre of the island is Rab town, where the old town walls are still visible in parts. Rab town was once part of both the holy Roman and the Byzantine Empires, its claim to fame being a stone mason named Marinus, who fled from Rab to Italy in AD 301, and founded the state of San Marino.
Rab is punctuated by four church belltowers and dotted with churches, the oldest dating back to the 11th century. A fact the islands priests may choose to turn a blind eye to is Rab's repuatation as a pioneer of nudism!
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