Diocletian's Palace

Today we learned more about the Roman emperor Diocletian than we ever thought we'd know. Turns out he was originally from Croatia, worked his way up the Roman hierarchy, and ruled as emperor for 20 years (ad284-305). He wanted to retire to his homeland, so he built himself a giant palace in Split.

So while we didn't see any ancient Roman ruins in Italy, we certainly saw some today! After Diocletian died, his palace gradually stopped being used by the Roman empire. It remained empty for a time, until villagers used it to take refuge from invaders. Today, the palaces is a mishmash of ancient ruins, medieval homes, renaissance palaces, and more modern structures. About 2000 people live inside the palace walls, surrounded daily by tourists, people dressed up as Roman gladiators, vendors, and restaurants. It's truly the most unique "palace" I've ever visited. In what other palace would you see laundry hanging out to dry, gardens being kept, and cats sunning themselves?

Split is also home to a great waterfront street known as the Riva. While it was way too hot to enjoy it much during the day, this evening it was jam packed with tourists, vendors, and even Split residents enjoying the cooler air. Food at the restaurants along the street is overpriced and mediocre, but the people watching and ambience are top notch.

Tomorrow we're off on the morning ferry to Korcula island. Weather reports show it approaching 100 there tomorrow, so I'm hoping their beaches are as alluring as promised. Also hoping we have wifi, otherwise we will update the blog from Dubrovnik in a few days.