Vela Luka lies at the very western end of Korčula, at the head of a long, well-sheltered bay that gave the town its name, which simply means big harbour. After the old walled town of Korčula on the eastern tip, this is the island's second centre, and it feels more like a working port than a postcard. Ferries to Split come and go, small fishing boats work the bay, and the pace of the place follows the boats rather than the tourists.
Getting here is the pleasure. The island road runs along the spine of Korčula, between pines and low hills, with the Pelješac peninsula and the open Adriatic appearing on one side or the other. The surface is generally decent, the corners are gentle and flowing, and you will rarely get above a relaxed pace behind a delivery van or a rental scooter. The road passes through Blato on the way, a larger inland town known for its long avenue of lime trees and its old tradition of sword dances on St Vincent's day in April. Those two places and the villages between them sit among vineyards and olive groves, and the island is known for the white wines grown on its sandy soils, Pošip and Grk among them.
Vela Luka's real story starts underground, or at least on the hill above the town. A cave there called Vela Spila has given archaeologists evidence of human presence stretching back many thousands of years, which makes the bay one of the older inhabited corners of the Adriatic. Much more recently, the town grew through fishing and boat work, and you still see that in the harbour. With a few thousand residents, it has fuel, shops and plenty of places to sit by the water, so it works well as a turn-around point for the day, or as the place you wait for your ferry.
In summer the road to the east is busy with holiday traffic and the heat sits heavily on the south-facing slopes, so mornings and evenings are the time to ride. Late spring and early autumn give the island its best light, with the sea turning a deep blue and the smell of pine resin hanging over the road.