Mali Ston

Mali Ston is the small harbour at the north end of the great Ston walls, sitting at the head of a sheltered bay whose clean, brackish water produces the oysters and mussels that have made the place famous. It is smaller and quieter than Ston itself, a single waterfront of old stone houses and konobas at the foot of the Koruna fortress, with the walls climbing the hill behind.

The Mali Ston bay is one of the oldest cultivated oyster areas in Europe, and the European flat oyster grown here, Ostrea edulis, is harvested from the rafts you can see out in the bay and served in the restaurants along the front within hours. The mussels are the second crop, grown on long lines across the bay.

The walls run from Mali Ston up to the ridge and over to Ston, and the climb from Mali Ston to the Koruna fortress above the bay is the steeper section of the walk, with the view back over the oyster beds. It is the obvious reason to stop here, the seafood, more than the walls.

For photographers, the oyster rafts in the bay and the fortress above are the shots, and the food photographs as well as it tastes. Go for lunch, walk the wall, and carry on down Pelješac.

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