The Valun Tablet
Set into the wall of the parish church in Valun is a modest stone that ranks among the oldest written records in Croatia: the Valun Tablet (Valunska ploča) from the 11th century.
What makes it special: the inscription is bilingual and uses two scripts. One part is Old Croatian in Glagolitic, the other Latin in Caroline minuscule. If you know the Baška Tablet on Krk, this is its small but fascinating sibling.
What it says:
It is a gravestone for three generations of one family: the grandmother Teha, her son Bratohna and her grandson Juna.
The tablet originally lay by the church of St Mark in the old village of Bućev above Valun, which still serves as the cemetery for Valun. Today it is built into the parish church, which dates from 1851.
Insider tip: right next to the church, the Toš tavern has a terrace known as the Glagolitic lapidary, with replicas of early Glagolitic inscriptions from Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia. A fish lunch overlooking the bay plus a piece of written history makes a perfect afternoon in Valun.