Croatia, Pt. 3

And the history tour continues :)

Our last trip in Croatia was to the cities of Trogir and Split. Trogir reminded me so much of Venice (minus the canals), with its narrow, twisting streets and beautiful shops and restaurants cut into every available corner. It's not surprising that Trogir elicits memories of Venice as Dalmatia fell under Venetian rule from 1420. Venice's rule over Dalmatia lasted for almost four centuries.

In 1997, Trogir was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List (places that are deemed to be of special cultural or natural significance) for its blend of Romanesque churches, Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period, all set within a Hellenistic Orthogonal Street plan (straight streets intersecting at right angles, consisting of a central point from which the streets radiate).

The 13th century Cathedral of St. Lawrence sits within Trogir's main square. The entrance to the cathedral features the spectacular Romanesque Portal of Radovan, carved by Master Radovan (a sculptor, architect and native of Trogir). The Portal blends images of the life of Christ with depictions of the Seasons and fantastical mythological beasts.

I could have happily spent days exploring this lovely little town! There was just too much to see and enjoy in one morning.

In the afternoon, we made our way down to Split, Croatia's second-largest city. The seafront overlooks the sparkling Adriatic and is bursting with restaurants, bars, shops and market stalls.

One of Split's main attractions is Emperor Diocletian's Palace, also inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Diocletian was born in nearby Salona (now known as Solin), within the then Roman province of Dalmatia. He ruled as Emperor from 284AD-305AD.

The palace, built in preparation for Diocletian's retirement, was divided into two halves: the southern half was home to the Emperor's impressive apartments and religious buildings, and the northern half housed soldiers, servants and storage. With its gates and numerous watchtowers, Diocletian's palace blended a luxurious villa with a military garrison. The limestone used to the build the palace was brought over from the neighbouring island of Brac (see blog post Croatia, Pt. 2).

Sixteen towers were once in place in this palace fortress (only three remain) and four gates (the Gold, Silver, Iron and Bronze gates). Granite sphinxes were imported from Egypt (three are still visible within the palace today), now over 3500 years old, to decorate the palace grounds.

My time in Croatia went by all too quickly. I still can't get the sound of the waves lapping over the pebble beaches out of my head. *sigh*

Whether your holiday style centres around relaxation, sunshine, island-hopping, gastronomy or history, Croatia has you covered!

I will be back :) But until then, thank you Croatia!

(Hover your mouse over the photographs for locations and descriptions)

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