The Diocletian Palace, Split

It’s called a Palace but in the fact it’s a fortress -cum- military camp with huge gates and watchtowers,   built on the shore of Adriatic Sea  four miles from Salona, the capital of the Roman Province of Dalmatia. The palace was supposed to be a retirement home for the Roman Emperor Diocletian who was born in the Roman Province of Dalmatia to a family of low status, and who rose through the ranks to become emperor.

The grandiose Diocletian Palace, the UNESCO site, covers 30000 sq meters and is filled with  history. The Palace is divided by intersecting streets – cardo and decumanus. While cardo streets lead to the main square of the Palace,  the decumanus street divides the Palace into the northern part allocated for servants and the southern part reserved for the imperial family. Both streets lead to the Palace gates, four in total – Porta Aurea (Golden Gate), Porta Argentea (Silver Gate), Porta Ferrea (Iron Gate) and Porta Aenea (Brass Gate).

Within the Palace wall there is a court, called Peristyle, three temples and Diocletian’s mausoleum. Two out of  the three temples are lost and third, originally known as the temple of Jupiter, became a baptistery. The Peristyle is decorated with granite brought from the site of the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III.

The palace is built in a perfect rectangle, size 160 m x 190 m, with the southern part, open towards the sea, unfortified and used as the emperor’s private access to the sea or as the entrance for food supplies. The palace could house up to 9000 people and had a very good water supply from the Jadro River near Salona, the capital of the Roman Province of Dalmatia. Today the Roman pipes which were restored in XIX c can be seen along the road.

The Diocletian Palace was forgotten about in the West from the Middle Ages until 1764 when the Ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia  by the Scottish neo-classical architect Robert Adam was published in London and become the inspiration for a new style of neoclassical architecture in Europe.

Split, the second largest city of Croatia, is built around the Palace. You are allowed to wander around the remains of the palace but we would suggest you  book a guide and see the excavated remains of the basement of the palace.

CRUISING TO SPLIT – WHAT TO SEE AND DO?

Did you know that the name Split derives from the shrub in the local area called spiny broom. When the city became part of the Roman Empire the Latin name of the city became Spalatum.

Split was a Greek colony well before the Romans come to this part of the world and built the Palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian as a retirement home for the Roman Emperor Diocletian who was the first one to voluntarily retire from politics. In later years the town of Split grew around the palace and was independent before it was conquered by the Venetians in 1420. After that Spilt followed the historic path so common for this area and changed hands between the Austrians, French, Italians and Germans. Today Split is part of Croatia and a UNESCO site since 1979. Beyond the usual walking tour of Split is there anything else you could visit?

Every guide book suggests visiting the beach at Bacvice but I would go to Kastel which combines 7 little villages ( Kastel Stafilic, Kastel Novi, Kastel Stari, Kastel Luksic, Kastel Kambelovac, Kastel Gomilica, Kastel Sucurac) to the north of Split towards the airport. If you stay in one of picturesque villages in Kastel you will avoid all the hustle of Split especially during the hot summer months. Also there is a very good local bus connection between each village and Split and the journey takes you 30 min. The villages are so close to each other that you can actually walk by following the coastline and have an occasional swim.

Most guide books suggest that you while you are in Split you should visit Dubrovnik and have a tour to Montenegro.I would suggest you visit Trogir, a little gem of a place which is kind of forgoton. It’s a UNESCO site too and has a large concentration of palaces, churches and towers, not to mention a well-preserved historical city core with city gate and city walls. Trogir shares the airport with Split which is situated near Kastel Stafilic only 5 km from Trogir. Again there is a very good local bus connection between Split and Trogir, just a 10 min drive.

One of the hardest questions you face in Croatia is which island to see, and I am sure after you have done your homework you are thinking of visiting either Brac or Hvar.  Both islands are very conveniently located to Split  – only 50 min on a ferry  to Brac (Supetar) and to Hvar 55 min! Both islands are stunning with lots of beaches, nice food and excellent weather. They can get over- crowded and busy! I would go a little bit further and visit the furthest island off the Croatian coast – Vis. The ferry journey lasts 2 hours and 20 minutes. Vis covers an area of only 90 sq/km but the people of Vis are very energetic as they managed to sponsor their own colonies and have their own money in the past! Today Vis is a sleepy island with the main industry being tourism and wine!  Also the sea around Vis is well known for fish especially blue fish.

If you get bored of the sea I would suggest heading inland on a day tour to Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina. Did you know that Bosnia has a small coastline of 26 km (16 miles) which you can enter on the way to visit Mostar? The drive is only 2 and a half hours and you will need to take your passport with you. Once you are in Mostar the blend, the mixture of different cultures is so vivid through Ottoman and Dalamatian houses or Italian Franciscan and Orthodox churches not to mention one of the most famous pieces of Islamic architecture in this part of the world – Stari Most or the old Bridge.

Or enjoy a tour from Split to Medjugorje, a small village in Bosnia where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to a group of local children – you can walk up Apparition Hill, visit the church and enjoy the lovely landscapes around.

On the way from Split to Mostar I would suggest you have a lunch stop at the small and very proud place called Sinj which was under Turkish influence until 1686 when it was occupied by the Venetians. The last Turkish attempt to get the city was in 1715 which wasn’t successful. The local population was grateful to the Virgin Mary who helped them to defend themselves against the Turks, and her miraculous images can be seen in the local Franciscan monastery. If you are travelling on the first Sunday of August from Split to Mostar I would suggest you visit Sinj when the Tilters Tournament takes place that commemorates the victory over Turkish army in 1715. The tilters, dressed in costumes, ride on horseback trying to hit a small ring hanging from a wire.

You can visit Plitvice Lake in a day tour from Split but have you heard of  Krka National Park and its beauty? It’s like a mini-Plitvice but much closer at only 1 hour and 20 min drive from Split and you can visit seven waterfalls, a medieval fortress, water mills, the Visovac Monastery (Roman Catholic Church ) and the Monastery Krka (Serbian Orthodox Church).

Lots to see nearby! For Plitvice Lakes day tours, walking tours of Split, Croatia day trips and shore excursions,  please check our site at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com or email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com