Military Tunnel (Titova Spilja / Tito’s Cave)

Titova Spilja, or Tito’s Cave, on Vis Island, off the Croatian coast, is a piece of twentieth-century history in a place better known for beaches and wine. During the Second World War, Vis became the base of the Yugoslav Partisans for a crucial period in 1944, and the Partisan leader, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, made his headquarters on the island. The cave on the hillside above Komiža is the spot most closely linked with that story, and it is reached by a climb up a series of stairs and paths that rise through the hills above the town.

The island’s wartime role is the key to understanding the site. Vis lies far out in the Adriatic Sea, and after the Italian capitulation it became a free enclave of Partisan power, protected by British forces and supplied with Allied help. Tito and his staff worked from Vis, and in the summer of 1944 an agreement about the future of the country was reached on the island. After the war the Yugoslav army kept Vis as a closed military base, and for decades it was off limits to foreign visitors, which is why the island kept its traditional character and why tunnels, bunkers and fortifications are scattered across it today.

The cave itself is modest. It is a natural hollow in the rock that served as a shelter and a command post, and the real draw is the sense of the setting and the history rather than any elaborate display. The climb is the main effort, and the stairs and slopes can be hot in summer, so bring water and a hat. From the hillside you see the surrounding hills and slopes, the sea beyond and the long line of the coast, which helps explain why the position was chosen.

Many visitors combine it with other places on the island. Mount Hum, with the small church of Crkva sv. Duha, the old fortress known as Fort George, the Roman baths, and coves such as Stiniva and Srebrna Bay can all be reached by road. A day with a rented scooter or car can take in several of them.

The site suits anyone interested in the Second World War in the Adriatic and the recent history of the former Yugoslavia, as well as hikers who enjoy a short, steep climb. Go in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the heat.