25-28 June 2019

The drive along the beautiful Dalmatian coast from Dubrovnik back to Split (the ferry from Italy had brought us to Split) was easy. It was like our drive from Split to Dubrovnik—except in the other direction! The Bosnian border passport checks midway through the drive were simply a “wave through.”

Our room in Split was only a few blocks from the historic center, which was especially welcome in the 95 Fahrenheit heat.

Diocletian’s Palace

Diocletian was a late Roman emperor, very successful, with a long reign (284-305 AD). However, late in life he abdicated, the only emperor to do so, and because he was originally from Split, he returned there to build a vast retirement palace on the water’s edge.

The palace compound, laid out in a simple square of 600 by 600 feet, took 11 years to build, and more than 2,000 slaves died in its construction. The completed complex housed more than 700 servants, bodyguards, and soldiers.

Later a Medieval town grew up alongside the palace in approximately the same shape and size. The remains of the abandoned palace were incorporated into the construction of houses, shops, and squares over the centuries. It is easy (without the heat) to meander by and through these elements. Sometimes you see columns and arches inside a supermarket or the curtains of a small window poking through one of the Roman perimeter walls.

It is an unique experience.

The crowds of tourists here are not as disturbing as in the completely walled city of Dubrovnik. This is partly because of the physical porosity of the palace and adjacent town and because of the very broad seaside promenade alongside them. You see and hear locals walking among the tourists and eating in some of the less touristy locations. This is much less a Disneyland experience than Dubrovnik.

The cellars of the palace

The cellars are vast. They functionally make up the grade difference of the land as it slopes up and away from the water’s edge. They also kept the residential part of the palace above the humid waters. One of the large chambers was used by Game of Thrones in the scene where they chained up the dragons.

Cathedral of Saint Dominus

Together with the bell tower, this is the oldest cathedral in the world in continuous use in its original structure. It was consecrated in the 7th century AD, formed over the mausoleum of Diocletian, the last emperor who aggressively martyred Christians. It is small by any standard with beautiful decorations and religious artifacts.

They do not allow photography in the Treasury where they have many items of gold and silver on display, along with bones of saints, one of whom was St. Aris(?) who came from Cagli, Italy, a town near Serra Sant’Abbondio where Robert’s father grew up.

Around and about outside the palace walls

The area next to the palace was once a medieval town. It has narrow streets that open up to stark plazas ringed with shops and restaurants, some with large canopies. One particularly large plaza has an open view to the water.

The water edge is busy during the day and especially at night (or so we have heard). Restaurants and bars line the promenade which had a string of rally cars on display when we were there—Lamborghini, Porsche, etc.—all in bright colors and stickered to death.

Waterfront and Promenades

Medieval Town

Markets

More Strolling

Need a hat? Want a hat? Which one? What color?

Robert believes there is ONE factory somewhere in Asia that is making all of the hats he has seen since the start of the trip in Sicily. All pretty much the same, although he believes Split has the best selection so far.

Excursion—Tigor

Given the high heat and the fact that we had pretty much absorbed the tourist level of information of Split, we took a one-hour boat ride to the small walled city of Tigor. It cost less than 40 kunas one way (about $6.50). Being on the water with a breeze was great. Bonnie made friends with a two Croatian kids, one two-years-old and his sister of four (and their parents). Apparently, counting your age out loud is a universal thing! We made one stop at the town of Slatine before arriving in Tigor. Slatine is small and looks like a great place to hang out for a week if you like to swim, lie on the beach, and drink beer or mai tais.

Tigor is another Unesco World Heritage Site. (Seems like there are a lot of them in Croatia). It was founded by the Greeks and has been under the rule of many powers including the Venetians. The Saracens made it up here too and sacked the town. We do not know if our puppet friends Orlando and Angelica were involved.

Cathedral of Saint Lawrence

The Saint Peter Church

Once part of the women’s Benedictine monastery

Hrana i Piće

In case you have not caught on yet, if it’s a salad or tuna or a salad with tuna, it’s Bonnie’s. If it is meat, risotto, or pasta, it’s Robert’s.

Next stop—
Nacionalni Park Plitvička Jezera