What You Will Do
Join me on a journey of 1700 years as we explore together the fascinating history of the Unesco city of Split. We will walk on the footsteps of the emperor Diocletian and you will get to know how did a Roman villa of a retired emperor become a live city.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
Meeting Point
Obala Hrvatskog narodnog preporoda, Split
1
Riva Harbor
10 minutes
We start our tour at the Riva promenade - the most important public space in the Split. Riva represents something far more then just a nice waterfront. It is a genuine living room for us locals. It is a stage for numeros concerts and events throughout the entire year.The waterfront is a central place to celebrate New Year, Christmas, City Day, Carnival and many other events. The Promenade is 250m long and 55m wide and it offers numerous coffee shops and restaurants where you can relax and enjoy the sea view. We are start the tour at the very beginning of Riva near a bronze model of the city of Split.
2
Palazzo di Diocleziano
30 minutes
Our next stop is the Diocletian Palace. The Palace is one of the best preserved monuments of the Roman architecture in the world. The Emperor's Palace was built as a combination of a luxury villa - summer house and a Roman military camp (castrum), divided into four parts with two main streets. Southern part of the Palace was, in this scheme, intended for the Emperor's apartment and appropriate governmental and religious ceremonies, while the north part was for the Imperial guard - the military, servants, storage etc. The Palace is a rectangular building (approximately 215 x 180 meters) with four large towers at the corners, doors on each of the four sides and four small towers on the walls.
3
Vestibulum of Diocletian's Palace
10 minutes
From the outside rectangular, and from the inside circular ground plan of this old imperial court, Vestibule leaves a monumental impression even to this day. And how fascinating was it in its original entirety: semicircular niches with statues; a large cupola with colourful glittery mosaic, witnessed by Marko Marulić in his manuscript from the 16th century; the whiteness of the round wall. Vestibule was used to enter the residential part of the palace. But can you imagine that little over half a century ago it was used for living, and that the residents kept poultry there and cultivated gardens? Vestibul is today appreciated for its outstanding acoustics. You will be amazed by the sounds of man groups who sing traditional dalmatian a capella songs.
4
Cathedral of Saint Domnius
15 minutes
Among the European cathedrals the one in Split finds its seat in the oldest building - the Mausoleum of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Inside the cathedral, at the end of the second millennium, the history reconciles ancient pagan, Christian Medieval and modern heritage. Mausoleum of the Emperor - persecutor of Christians becomes a cathedral in the 7th century where altars with relics of St Domnius and St Anastasius, martyrs executed in the nearby Solin, take an honorary place.
Cathedral today is primarily a place of liturgy, with a millennium long continuity, best reflected in the Sunday mass and the renewed splendour of the procession on the St Domnius's day - the day of Split's patron saint. The renowned part of the Cathedral are its gates carved in walnut by Andrija Buvina from Split.
Admission for the Cathedral is 25 Croatian kuna or 3.5 euros and it includes also the entrance to the Temple of Jupiter and the Crypt of St.Lucy.
5
Grgur Ninski Statue
10 minutes
Located outside the Golden Gate, one of four principal Roman gates into Diocletian’s Palace, is a statue of Gregory of Nin. He was a medieval bishop, famous for defying the Catholic church in Rome and insisting they introduce the national Croatian language into Catholic services throughout Croatia. As a result, everyone could understand what was being said. Before, services were only held in Latin. Christianity ultimately grew stronger throughout the country.
The statue was crafted by renowned Croatian sculptor, Ivan Meštrović, in 1929 to commemorate one thousand years since Gregory of Nin historically defended the Croatian culture. It is said to rub his big toe will grant you your wish!
6
Pjaca
15 minutes
Pjaca (People's Square, another square nobody in Split calls by its real name), is first mentioned in 13th century as St. Lawrence's Square, and it was the first inhabited part of Split outside the Diocletian Palace, leaning to its western wall. Already for centuries the Pjaca is the central stage of the city life, there in the Gothic building of the Old Town Hall, today an exhibition centre, was the seat of the city's authority, and in still beautiful and preserved Palaces on the outskirts of the Pjaca lived the noble families Cambi, Pavlović, Nakić, Ciprianis, Karepić.
Every building on Pjaca has its story, each is a witness of history and the spirit of the city. As it was yesterday, it is also today, when Pjaca is filled with numerous bars, restaurants and shops, and when it became one of the most important spots for tourists wishing to enjoy in whatever it is that their hosts, citizens of Split, are enjoying.
7
Fruit's Square (Trg Brace Radic)
10 minutes
There are several landmarks decorating this not so large a square thriving with city life in bars, restaurants and exclusive shops, a venue often used also by fairs. The biggest is certainly the octagonal Venetian tower, the leftover of the former fortress, built in the 15th century for the defence of, at the time, a small town. Opposite the tower is a magnificent Palace of the old family Milesi from the 17th century with a spectacular Baroque facade, one of the best examples of that style in the whole of Dalmatia. Just in front of it stands the monument to the father of the Croatian literature, the citizen of Split, Marko Marulić, who was one of the most important philosophers and intellectuals of the 15th century. The author of the monument, as well as of several others in the city is Ivan Meštrović.
8
Prokurative
10 minutes
Prokurative or as they are officially called, Republic Square resemble the Venice St. Marks Square. They are located west of the Riva and they were named after the arches found on the neo-Renaissance buildings surrounding the square on three sides. The building of the Prokurativa was initiated by one of the most renowned mayors in the history of the city Antonio Bajamonti in the mid 19th century. He wanted to show that Split supported Italian tradition with all its might. Hence the colonnade resembling Venetians, and reliefs above the windows evoking the ancient and Renaissance influences. Bajamonti also made his great theatre on the square, but it was destroyed by a fire.
The square has long been established as an excellent stage for cultural events, especially the pop music festival, and the local bars and restaurants made it a popular venue for the citizens of Split.
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