About LOPUD 1483
It takes unparalleled vision to take a ruined 15th-century Franciscan monastery and imagine it as a contemporary place to stay. Fortunately, Swiss art collector Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza had the mettle for the task and 25 years after she first visited the tiny car-free island of Lopud – a 30-minute speedboat ride away from Dubrovnik on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast – her villa Lopud 1483 opened its doors to guests. The feel of the place is deeply restorative: an ancient pharmacy was discovered on site and a medicinal garden has now been planted with 80 different species of healing flora. While the original cloisters still stand, the cells have been transformed into five thoroughly modern bedroom suites. Scattered throughout are priceless antiques and artefacts collected by Francesca’s father Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, along with contemporary works from her own collection. That is the thrill of the design, the cusp where ancient and present meet – such as the tapestry from the 1400s hanging opposite a current-day artwork by German photographer Thomas Struth. Breakfast can be laid out in the shade of the gnarled old olive trees, or lunch in an inner courtyard, prepared by a private chef using ingredients from the gardens and neighbouring islands. Afternoons can be spent paddleboarding from the stone jetty, or walking barefoot around the lawns, visiting the chickens, or cycling across the island for a swim at Šunj Beach. A week here delivers downtime and thinking space, the pace as slow as the renovation.