Arriving back in Split from our island getaway, we decided to get up very early the next morning to beat the crowds. It's never fun getting up extremely early but it's well worth it to see such a beautiful place unspoiled by tourists. The main area of interest in Split is of course Diocletian's palace, however the name itself is misleading. Built in the 400s AD for Diocletian's retirement, it is less of a palace and more of an entire running fortress complex, almost like a town in itself complete with alleyways and buildings. It was also meant to house his militia which perhaps helps to account for its size.
I found it a very unique place as in effect Diocletian's palace is what makes up the old city if Split, and unusually for an old town, it was one of the beautifully preserved and grand I had seen.
The one thing you of course can't tell from our photos is how swarming with tourists this beautiful old town is. There's something more magical about seeing old places without hordes of people; like without the reminders surrounding us one can almost feel as if they were there in the time it was built.
The impressive front gate to get through into the old city also held brilliant acoustics, demonstrated by a group of people singing beautifully and capturing many a tourists attention.
The old windy streets in Diocletian's palace were beautifully preserved with barely a hint of our modern civilization around. The streets were very slippery with the rain however, and I was glad I had my walking shoes on.
The old walls were extremely impressive even now, it wasn't surprising that in the 7th century the local inhabitants fled to the then long abandoned city for protection against the approaching Croats.
A giant statue dominated the landscape just outside the palace walls. He had a rather avenging pose as if he were about to smite somebody, and I couldn't help but notice he also had a very shiny toe. Must have been lucky.
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