During the 18th century certain wealthy families from Italy moved to Tisno. From that period 11 villas had been left, among which the most beautiful ones are the family houses of the Gelpi family (18th cent.), the Banchetti family (18th cent.) and the Denari family (19th cent.) as well as two palaces: Palace Katunarić (19th cent.) and the Mazzura Palace in which today is the seat of the Tisno Municipality administration.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Caravaggio can also be found in Tisno. The Gelpi family who had arrived from Italy, venerating Our Lady, brought along the painting of Our Lady and around the year 1720 built a small chapel on the hill Brošćica, above Tisno, which can be reached by Karavajska street having climbed a total of 214 steps. These steps were once crossed by pilgrims on their knees to fulfil their vows!
Tisno is also hometown of the famous Croatian writer, Vjekoslav Kaleb, who in his numerous collections published a total of 57 novels and his short story “The Guest” is one of his earliest and best-known works.
On the archaeological site Ivinj (4 km from Tisno) the discovery of the walls of a Roman villa at the turn of the 2nd and 3rd centuries gives to the locality a great historical importance, while the Makirina Cove represents a rich source of peloid, healing mud.
On the main altar of today's church of Sv. Duh there is an early Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary and the Child. The statue (11th /12th century) is unique in Europe as it is coated with silver and gold without previously having been painted.
In the past, the most frequent means of transport in Tisno were donkeys who were often afraid to cross the bridge, due to the cracks in the boards of the bridge, revealing the sea below them. Nowadays, Tisno hosts the International donkey race which takes place every year in August.
The first bridge in Tisno was built in 1832 and it was manually moveable to the side. Today the bridge is lifted to allow the passage of boats every morning at 9:00 and every afternoon at 17.00.
