Behind the Makarska Riviera the land climbs abruptly into the grey limestone of Biokovo, and on the inland side of that range lies a high, stony plateau called the Dalmatian Zagora, a country of dry-stone walls, thin soil and scattered villages. Velika and Mala Crljivica, the Greater and Lesser Crljivica, sit in this landscape near the small town of Lovreć, about twenty-one kilometres from Omiš and a little further from Imotski, and the site is a field of old tombstones.
They are stećci, the monumental medieval gravestones found across the western Balkans, carved from local limestone between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Some are plain slabs and others take the shape of chests or gabled houses, and many bear carved figures of horsemen, deer hunts, rosettes and crescent moons. UNESCO inscribed a group of stećci sites, including some in Croatia, in 2016. They lie scattered in the grass among thorn bushes and rocks, and they feel remote and old. As a rule there is no staff, no ticket booth and often only a small sign, so take care and do not climb on them.
The landscape around is hard and beautiful. The Zagora is a karst country, where rain disappears underground and appears as springs and lakes, such as the famous Blue Lake near Imotski, a sinkhole of green water ringed by cliffs. Fields of grapes, figs and olives are marked out with stone walls, and tiny chapels stand on hilltops. The area makes its own strong wine, Plavac Mali, and prosciutto air-dried in the cold wind, the bora.
On a motorcycle the pleasure is in the descent to the coast. The road from the Zagora to Makarska or Brela crosses the Biokovo range through a long, winding series of hairpins with sweeping views of the islands of Brač and Hvar, and the old road over the mountain is narrow and steep. The new A1 motorway runs through tunnels, with tolls, and carries the heavy summer traffic. Wind can be fierce, with sudden gusts on exposed bends, and in winter ice and snow can close the higher roads. Early summer and September are the best seasons, when the coast is not too crowded.
Lovreć is small, with about nine hundred people, so fill up in Imotski, Omiš or on the coast. Zagvozd has a few cafes. Order a plate of pršut and local cheese in a konoba, and watch for the tourist crowds on the coast.