Vela Spila

Vela Spila is a large chamber high on the hill above Vela Luka with two openings in the roof that let light down into it, and it has been occupied on and off since the Upper Palaeolithic - excavation has produced a sequence running back around twenty thousand years, through the Mesolithic and Neolithic into the Bronze Age. Its most cited finds are fragments of modelled and fired clay figures dated to roughly 17,500 years ago, among the earliest ceramic art known in Europe, made long before pottery was used for containers anywhere in the region. The site is open with a path and a small display; the main finds are in the Vela Luka museum.

The landscape

• A lit chamber with roof openings - daylight reaching the floor.
• Twenty thousand years of occupation - Palaeolithic through Bronze Age.
• Fired clay figures from about 17,500 years ago - among Europe's earliest ceramic art.
• An open excavation - with the main finds in the town museum.

When to go

April to October; hours are reduced off season. Two hours.

Good to know

The finds themselves are largely in the museum in Vela Luka, not in the cave. The approach involves steps and a climb. Interpretation on site is modest. Vela Luka is at the far end of Korcula from the ferry ports most people use.

Nearby

Vela Luka is below; Korcula town is at the other end of the island.

Key facts