Dubrovnik and Dalmacija travel guide
traveling to Dubrovnik and looking for bars, restaurants, history and best things to do in Dalmatia and Dubrovnik
traveling to Dubrovnik and looking for bars, restaurants, history and best things to do in Dalmatia and Dubrovnik
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Trg Republike<br />
In contrast to the Roman<br />
<strong>and</strong> Venetian parts of town, this<br />
square’s gr<strong>and</strong> architecture hints<br />
at old Vienna. Map N2<br />
Bavice<br />
A short walk southeast from<br />
the centre of Split leads to this<br />
small bay, with one of the city’s<br />
most popular summer beaches,<br />
Top 10 Events in<br />
Diocletian’s Life<br />
AD 245: Born into a<br />
lowly Dalmatian<br />
family in Salona<br />
282: Finds favour with<br />
Emperor Carus, <strong>and</strong> is<br />
made a Roman Count<br />
283: Carus elevates<br />
his status to that<br />
of consul<br />
284: Reaches his<br />
zenith, at the age of<br />
just 39, by becoming<br />
Roman Emperor<br />
295: Commissions his<br />
seaside retirement<br />
palace in Split, which<br />
takes around a decade<br />
to complete<br />
303: Outlaws<br />
Christianity, ordering<br />
the destruction of all<br />
churches <strong>and</strong> the<br />
persecution of Christians<br />
305: Becomes the first<br />
Roman emperor to<br />
retire rather than die or<br />
be murdered in the job<br />
308: Declines request<br />
to be reinstated as<br />
emperor<br />
315: Diocletian’s wife<br />
(Prisca) <strong>and</strong> daughter<br />
(Valeria) are murdered<br />
by Emperor Licinius<br />
c.316: Poisons himself<br />
in his palace at Split<br />
a large waterfront entertainment<br />
centre <strong>and</strong> a buzzing nightlife<br />
(see p86). Map Q6<br />
Coastal Walk<br />
The coastline stretching<br />
out from Bavice is lined with<br />
beaches, cafés <strong>and</strong> nightclubs.<br />
Wimbledon champion Goran<br />
Ivaniševi launched his career at<br />
a tennis club near here. Map Q6<br />
Emperor Diocletian<br />
The life of Diocletian is a true<br />
“rags to riches” story. He grew<br />
up in a family of modest<br />
means in the Dalmatian town<br />
of Salona, before embarking on<br />
a meteoric rise through the<br />
military ranks of the Roman<br />
Empire to assume the top<br />
position. He demonstrated a<br />
marked taste for gr<strong>and</strong> construction projects; his<br />
greatest legacy to Croatia is the lavish retirement<br />
palace he built by the Adriatic, later to evolve into the<br />
city of Split. Retirement was an unconventional move<br />
for a Roman emperor – one way or another, all of<br />
his predecessors had died in the job. From his gr<strong>and</strong><br />
seaside residence, Diocletian looked on as the<br />
Empire began to crumble, <strong>and</strong> it was here that<br />
he eventually took his own life. Given Diocletian’s<br />
notoriety as a persecutor of Christians, it is ironic that<br />
Split’s cathedral was later built on the site of his tomb.<br />
Diocletian condemning St Cosmas <strong>and</strong> St Damian (predella<br />
from the Annalena Altarpiece by Fra Angelico, 1434)<br />
<strong>Dubrovnik</strong> & the Dalmatian Coast<br />
25
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