Our day in Split was spent mainly exploring Dicletian's Palace. This top tourist destination in the city was the retirement palace of the Roman Emperor Dicletian, just another example of Croatia's Roman history.
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| Diocletian |
We started in the cellars using our guidebook to take us step by step through it. Only a little section has been excavated. After the fall of the empire, villagers took refuge in the cellars during the rampaging of the city. Garbage and other debris quickly filled up the tunnels. The cellars were still damp and pretty much untouched. I enjoyed looking at black granite sphinx which was only one of 13 that have survived from the Roman age.
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| The promanade |
From the cellars we walked into the peristyle. This was the heart of the palace and we were treated to a talk from Dicletian (performs address the crowd every day at noon). It was extremely hot at this point so we made our way into the bowels of the old town to grab some lunch.
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| Old Town |
After lunch we checked off the other parts of the palace including the Cathedral of St. Dominus and it's adjoining crypt. Interestingly enough the crypt is in honor of St. Lucia who was my patron saint during confirmation. Travelers write letters and prayers to her and leave them in the crypt.
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| One of the sphinxes |
The last parts of the palace included Jupiter's Temple and the Golden Gate. After completing the full tour we took our time exploring the rest of the city. We grabbed some ice cream and sat out on the promenade for a few hours just people watching.
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| Mara down in the cellars |
In the evening both girls fell asleep at the same point. We took this opportunity to sit down for a little wine tasting and delicious dinner.
Split was both an interesting historical city and a bustling modern gem. It was fun to see both of these sides play out.
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Outside the old town walls
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