Retirement Home for an Emperor

On Friday we arrived back to Croatia, this time to the port of Split. We had signed up for a tour and I was glad we did because our guide Žarko was very knowledgable and told us lots about the history of the area. They have not had an easy history and have been ransacked over the centuries by just about every warring nation who was passing through. They are very keen to build up their tourist industry so he kept asking us to come back next year. We first visited the tiny medieval town of Trogir, famous for its narrow streets, its cathedral and its A Cappella singing which was of course being performed in the main square. We managed not to buy the inevitable CD and gave our tour group the slip so that we could quickly climb up the cathedral's bell tower for a lovely view. 

Then we went back to Split for the second part of the tour. The most interesting former resident of the town was the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who is famous for being the only Roman Emperor to manage to retire (usually it was a job that ended in death!) As a Croatian boy (he had been proclaimed emperor after rising through the ranks of the military) he wanted to spend his twilight years back home so he had a truly magnificent palace built in what is now Split, right on the sea front with beautiful gardens - and very thick, well defended walls just in case any of his former enemies came to attack him. And he did indeed have his retirement, resisting entreaties from his followers to return as Emperor. Although quite a lot of the palace has recycled into the medieval town that grew there centuries later, its fortified walls can still clearly be seen and the Roman military shape of the streets inside are still there. It was well worth the visit and I would definitely like to go back some day.