Split's Old Town has a distinctive Roman flair - Diocletian's Palace which includes several buildings within a wall was built during the early 300s. When you see Roman Warriors patrolling the Bell Tower you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Italy. Like other Old Towns, the Diocletian Palace area remains a commercial center, albeit offering boutique clothing stores along the narrow passageways and cafes occupying space in the central square.
A recently renovated (2007) cafe lined, pedestrian thoroughfare, called the Riva. Above the Riva, west of Deocletian's Palace, is the “modern” Old Town that grew up around the palace during medieval times.
A recently renovated (2007) cafe lined, pedestrian thoroughfare, called the Riva. Above the Riva, west of Deocletian's Palace, is the “modern” Old Town that grew up around the palace during medieval times.
A close up of the Riva and some church.
I don't know what the photo to the left is other than your typical Split street scene and that yeah, you can wander around for ten minutes and see nothing but this awesomeness. Photo to the bottom right is Diocletian's Palace, which admittedly I didn't quite appreciate until a few years later when I read Ten Caesars. Good book - highly recommend reading it for a complete understanding of Roman times.
Bottom left, another typically Split street scene. When I visit places like Split, I'm always wondering "What do the locals do? How do the escape this tourism bubble and enjoy life?" I imagine that 100% of life in Split is either directly tourism driven or one degree removed. Everything about the Dalmatian Coast from here down to Dubrovnik felt like a tourist wonderland - and I'm not being derogatory - it's a wonderland in the greatest sense ever - it's tourist but it's so great who cares - but still what do the locals do? I stumbled upon this food truck setup in the park one night and it felt pretty local. At least I hope it was.
Two more photos of Split being awesome.
The Seven Kastels
About a thirty minute ride on the 37 Bus from Split leads to Kastel Sucurac, the first of several Kastel towns across the back bay. The Kastel towns date back to Medieval times and provide a glimpse into the past. While cobble stone streets have been paved over there are still a few stone homes along the coast and pedestrian alleyways. It's not quite Croatia's equivalent to Italy's Cinque Terre, however, it is a nice leisurely escape from Split's crowds.
I skipped past Kastel Sucurac, because it seemed to have a bit of an industrial feel, and departed the bus at Kastel Gomilica. From the bus stop it was easy to find a pathway that passed a church and lead to the waterfront. Sleepy. Cafes. Stone Beaches. The Kastel towns all share these features yet are each separately distinct. Boats quietly sat in the harbor waiting their owner's weekend return.
About a thirty minute ride on the 37 Bus from Split leads to Kastel Sucurac, the first of several Kastel towns across the back bay. The Kastel towns date back to Medieval times and provide a glimpse into the past. While cobble stone streets have been paved over there are still a few stone homes along the coast and pedestrian alleyways. It's not quite Croatia's equivalent to Italy's Cinque Terre, however, it is a nice leisurely escape from Split's crowds.
I skipped past Kastel Sucurac, because it seemed to have a bit of an industrial feel, and departed the bus at Kastel Gomilica. From the bus stop it was easy to find a pathway that passed a church and lead to the waterfront. Sleepy. Cafes. Stone Beaches. The Kastel towns all share these features yet are each separately distinct. Boats quietly sat in the harbor waiting their owner's weekend return.
The walk to Kastel Kambelovac, the second town, went inland a block. From here out, the rest of the walk was along the waterfront. The Kastel of Kambelovac sits right on the water. There is a 15 Kuna entrance fee which I decide to use instead on an Ozujsko beer at a waterside cafe. The crowds here seemed mostly local or if not local at least Croatians relaxing away from the tourist heavy crowds.
Appearing in the distance down the coast are the next three Kastel towns: Luksic, Stari, and Novi. Kastel Stari is the first town with a bit of “heft” to it and I had a pasta salad lunch along the water. A statue capped colonaid rose along the promenade.
The final Kastel, Kastel Novi was the largest with the most historical buildings in tact. Two large church steeples book ended the town. From here it was a five minute walk back to the main road and as luck would have it a bus pulled up as soon as I reached the stop. I considered heading up along the coast to Trigor, another UNESCO Old Town heritage site, but was suffering from Old Town fatigue, even though the Kastels were a nice break. The 37 Bus also passes Antic Solana, another Ancient Roman site, on the way back to Split. It's a full access, walk all over the walls, complex but I was exhausted from the afternoon heat. I carried an open umbrella the entire Kastel walk but still felt drained from the midday sun.
I like all of this. Doing a compare and contrast from my arrival in Croatia at Dubrovnik and feeling like that was an adult Disneyland to this, it shows that underneath all the glitz, Croatia is still...pretty...glitzy. As someone who doesn't like crowds, Dubrovnik wasn't my favorite, but bottom to top, Croatia is pretty spectacular.
I like all of this. Doing a compare and contrast from my arrival in Croatia at Dubrovnik and feeling like that was an adult Disneyland to this, it shows that underneath all the glitz, Croatia is still...pretty...glitzy. As someone who doesn't like crowds, Dubrovnik wasn't my favorite, but bottom to top, Croatia is pretty spectacular.
For additional photos see FLICKR ALBUM.