Day 7 Split, Croatia

The second-largest city of Croatia is the city of Split, a coastal town, nestled on a small peninsula on the Adriatic and one of the sunniest places in Europe. The area is called Dalmatia, and the prominent geographical features are the Dinaric Alps rising up from the sea, with inlets, bays, and pockets of fishing villages along the coast. This region has been populated from 600 B.C.

The city center is surrounded by the high walls of the palace, a remarkably preserved and maintained summer home of the Roman emperor, Diocletian. Built in the 4th Century A.D.  for the Dalmatian-born Diocletian, it is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We took a long morning walk around the old town of vehicle-banned cobblestone streets, and explored the palace. The substructure of the palace is open to see the vaulted ceilings and storage areas of the palace, which now display local goods for sale. On the main floor, in a rotunda room open to the sky, we heard a quartet of Croatian men singing typical folk tunes. The four-part harmonies echoed against the old stone walls and stopped us, quietly transporting us to a long-ago time.

The cathedral of St. Duje is small and dark, built on the remains of Diocletian’s mausoleum, claiming to be the oldest cathedral in the world, with its prominent bell tower rising above the city. Relics of St. Lucy are on display beyond a narrow basement passageway into a dark crypt glowing with racks of burning candles.

The narrow walking-only streets boasted shops of every kind, from bakeries to leather goods to clothing shops to restaurants, chalkboards noting the specials of the day. It was Saturday, and locals were out with friends, some purposefully shopping, others socializing as laughter rang through the narrow streets and alleyways.

We walked through the green market with aisle after aisle of shiny purple eggplant, green and white leeks, piles of potatoes and cabbage, and every other kind of local fruit and vegetable imaginable sold by the farmers. Because it was late morning, the nearby fish market had long sold most of the fish catch for the day and vendors were cleaning their stalls.



The modern Riva promenade along the water’s edge butts up to the palace walls. Awninged cafés spill onto the palm-lined park as locals and tourists stop for a leisurely lunch, as did we. Charles’ favorite grilled fish was perfectly presented whole on the platter: delicate white flesh under a crusty skin sprinkled with fresh garlic and swimming in olive oil. A local white wine, a spectacular view of the sea—boats large and small tied to nearby docks—and perfect temperature—75 degrees and sunny—combined to make this day memorable in so many ways.