HISTORICAL CITY OF TROGIR, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

From Split my travel continued further to the west following Dalmatian coastline. Less than 30 kilometers drive from Split, you can find the county’s third UNESCO world heritage site, the historical city of Trogir. This small city lies next to the coastline, located in a small island which can be accessed from mainland by foot or by car. You can also visit this city by taking the ferry trip from Split. I wandered few hours in this small city and island and enjoyed tasty lunch and some delicious ice cream here before continuing my trip to another county of Croatia. Although Split-Dalmatia didn’t impress me as much as many other places I have visited in Croatia, all in all my visit to this county was enjoyable and I saw lot of interested places.

“Trogir is a remarkable example of urban continuity. The orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates back to the Hellenistic period and it was embellished by successive rulers with many fine public and domestic buildings and fortifications. Its beautiful Romanesque churches are complemented by the outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period.” -UNESCO

VISITING SPLIT AND ITS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE: HISTORICAL COMPLEX OF SPLIT WITH THE PALACE OF DIOCLETIAN

After my stay in Hvar and Stari Grad, it was time to continue back to mainland, this time to Split. This was my second time in this Croatia’s second biggest city and so far this town hasn’t made me yearning back. It’s nice place, but it’s also really crowded with tourists and after visiting several smaller island towns that hit me against my face... Although Split is really historical city, in my opinion many other Croatian cities are still much more interesting and charming to visit. But if you anyway decide to visit Split, the historical city center is place to start.

The history of Split is rich and it has been seeing many different periods. Before Croatia’s independence it has been ruled by Greeks, Romans, Venetians, Austrians, French, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Italians, briefly by Germans and then Yugoslavians. It’s historical center is home for one of the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in the county. Here you are able to wander around and investigate the ruins of Diocletian’s Palace, the Palace which construction was started 1720 years ago! History and today are living hand in hand in historical center of Split…

“The ruins of Diocletian's Palace, built between the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries A.D., can be found throughout the city. The cathedral was built in the Middle Ages, reusing materials from the ancient mausoleum. Twelfth- and 13th-century Romanesque churches, medieval fortifications, 15th-century Gothic palaces and other palaces in Renaissance and Baroque style make up the rest of the protected area.” -UNESCO

Split is also known as Croatia’s sport capital. Compared to its size, it has been one of the most successful cities in Olympic Games history. In my last morning in Split I decided to honour that and I went to run around peninsula of Marjan early in the morning. That was maybe my favourite time I spent in Split and I enjoyed a lot the peaceful forest and sea views around Marjan. But before I reached there I started my run from the Split’s west side sea promenade where you can find all the names of all those Olympic medalists. The list starts from Helsinki 1952 and it ends up in London 2012. You can find there 73 plagues currently…

STARI GRAD PLAIN, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

A bit outside of Stari Grad lies one of the county’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Stari Grad Plain. While I had read really mixed views of this site, I must say that I enjoyed my visit a lot. What a perfect way to spend your summer evening while exploring this site and enjoying beautiful evening and countryside landscape simultaneously! Although I must say that most probably you get much more out of the site’s historical side, if you decide to explore it with the guide…

“Stari Grad Plain on the Adriatic island of Hvar is a cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mainly centring on grapes and olives, has been maintained since Greek times to the present. The site is also a natural reserve. The landscape features ancient stone walls and trims, or small stone shelters, and bears testimony to the ancient geometrical system of land division used by the ancient Greeks, the chora which has remained virtually intact over 24 centuries.” -UNESCO

BLUE MOMENT IN DUBROVNIK

For me the true magic of Dubrovnik comes visible only after the sunset. When dusk starts, the beautiful lights are put on and old city of Dubrovnik is showing its best side. The main street of old city which is walked by thousands and thousands of people is beaming beautifully in the lights, families are wandering in the city while children are playing in the plaza and dogs are in their evening walk. The candles are lit in tens of cafeterias and restaurants and people are enjoying and relaxing after hot summer day.

This evening the sun was going down behind the clouds after the short afternoon rain. So I missed the sunset, but following blue moment before the thunderstorm hit the town was something spectacular. Maybe one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen. And the thunder following it was intense. My apartment was situated next to the rocky hill so that two walls of it were natural rock. And that didn’t really make thunder any quieter… 

Main street of Dubrovnik during the blue moment

Blue moment and Pile Gate

Blue moment, walls of Dubrovnik and Adriatic Sea

View to the old city of Dubrovnik