This week 5 airs a visit to Hvar, the longest and sunniest island in Croatia — a place where natural beauty, cultural heritage and jet-set glamour have long co-existed in Jewels of the Mediterranean.

Home to just over 10,000 residents, Hvar is famed for its lavender fields, intricate lace-making traditions, secluded bays and pristine beaches, alongside an impressive six UNESCO heritage listings. Today it’s known as a playground for the rich and famous, but the programme reveals a far deeper story beneath the luxury gloss.

At the heart of Hvar’s modern reputation is its capital, where one of the island’s most glamorous harbour-side bars and restaurants has been drawing elite clientele since the 1980s. Owned by Ivan Gospodnetic, the three-storey venue is celebrated not just for its celebrity regulars, but for its uncompromising approach to seafood.

To guarantee the freshest possible produce, Ivan dispatches seven fishing boats every day, ensuring the catch goes from sea to table within hours.

The episode also looks back at Hvar’s remarkable place in European tourism history. Visitors have been travelling to the island since the 19th century, and in 1868, while under Austrian rule, Hvar became the birthplace of organised tourism in Europe.

Its popularity surged again in the 1960s, thanks to the Hvar Hygienic Society, which promoted the island as a health retreat, inviting visitors to recover and relax in its famously benign climate.

Culture takes centre stage as the programme follows preparations for the Hvar Summer Festival, one of the oldest festivals on the Adriatic coast. Running for more than 60 years, the festival blends art exhibitions, live music and performance, drawing thousands each summer. This year marks a significant moment as Jelena takes charge of the programme for the first time — with 5,000 visitors expected, the pressure is firmly on.

Balancing history, high culture and high-end living, Jewels of the Mediterranean paints a portrait of Hvar as more than a luxury escape — a place shaped by tradition, creativity and centuries of hospitality.

Jewels of the Mediterranean, Friday 6 February at 7pm on 5