And so I packed all the dirty clothes and headed straight to the laundry shop. Setting everything up and inserting the token, the washing machine said I had 50 minutes of free time before having to return to transfer the clothes to the dryer. Fine. As my clothes enjoyed their time being cleaned, I went back to the small square where I came from and took photos. There you can see the old town hall whose history dates back to the 1400’s. The building looked old alright but I didn’t even have a clue what it was.
That square had a big concentration of people because there are several restos and bars there. You will also see one of the city’s old gates called Porta Ferrea or the Iron Gate. It’s nothing fancy but it does have a clock tower that catches your attention. Getting lost in Split’s narrow alleys is fun, but if you are looking for the Palace of Diocletian, all you have to do is enter that gate and head straight. That will lead you directly to the palace grounds.
As I had almost an hour to spare before the dryer beckoned, I spent most of it staring at what can be stared at there at Diocletian’s Palace. You will see the bell tower of St. Domnius’ Cathedral at once, which has been stalking you from everywhere since you arrived. The cathedral is said to have had its origins in the 4th century AD as Diocletian’s mausoleum. It is recognized as one of the oldest Catholic churches in the world that has almost never been renovated. Since there was an entrance fee and I didn’t feel like paying, I decided not to enter.
I believe the ticket also gives you access to Jupiter’s Temple next door, which connects to the plaza via a really narrow alley. I admit I was curious at first but since the door was ajar, I saw how small the interior is as well as a statue of Jupiter right there standing. Nah, I’m not giving away Euros today, bruh. I already gave 10 Euros to the washing machine and the dryer. I believe what really counts as a regret, though, was not seeing the cathedral's interior considering how old it is and the significance it holds.
In any case, this whole area of Diocletian’s palace, including the courtyard where you will find yourself after emerging from one of the alleys or from that underground shop that leads to Riva, is inscribed on the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Hooray! Anyway, one attraction you can check out for free is the Vestibule, once a corridor and now just ruins with a huge sunroof with the bell tower of the cathedral taking a peek from behind it. There are three guys selling their music there. They sing in Dalmatian, I believe.
Ah yes, we’ve come to the history part. This stretch of Croatia’s Adriatic coastline was once called Dalmatia and was part of the Roman Empire before continuing its history as part of Byzantium, the eastern Roman empire. They used to speak a Romance language here called Dalmatian which is now unfortunately extinct. Ya boi Diocletian was born here. He became emperor eventually and the palace you will visit here was some sort of vacation home for him where he is said to have spent most of his time after abdicating.
And that’s where my gallivanting ended because the dryer gave me % instead of minutes, meaning I got hostaged there for an hour including the time it took to fold the clothes. After that, I just took a stroll at Riva, which is the modern boardwalk the Croatian government installed overlooking the port which plays host to various cruise ships. Yes, Split is a cruise port as well. Overall, I’d say it’s a worthy stopover if you have a fascination with all things Ancient Rome.
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