Split

View of Split from the Cafe Bar Vidilica in Park Šuma Marjan

Facing the harbor is the Riva, the town's promenade.    

Split (Italian: Spalato), the second-largest city of Croatia and the largest city of the region of Dalmatia, lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea.  Split, one of the oldest cities in the area, traditionally considered over 1,700 years old counting from the construction of Diocletian's Palace in 305 AD, archaeological research reveals the original founding of the city as the Greek colony of Aspálathos in the 4th century BC.  Diocletian built his palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD.  The Diocletianic Persecution, the empire's last, largest, and bloodiest official persecution of Christianity, did not destroy the empire's Christian community; indeed, after 324 Christianity became the empire's preferred religion under its first Christian emperor, Constantine.  Indeed, Diocletian's mausoleum became the Cathedral of St Dominus.  But not immediately, first the palace was abandoned as people favored the southeast side of the bay living in a place called Salona but the Avars sacked it in 639 AD.  

The excavation ends when you can see plastic pipes from a current residence

After living in huts on the islands they moved into the old palace that was easier to defend than Salona, now a ruin.  They built what we now visit, the old center of Split, from the castle and for centuries threw their garbage down into the lower level now mostly excavated and useful for housing dragons in Game of Thrones. Through the following centuries, until the Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, Split remained a possession of the Byzantine Empire.  In this period, an independent Dalmatian language developed from Latin, with a distinct local dialect and the city became known as Spalatro.  Split later gradually drifted into the sphere of the Republic of Venice.  From here on its history pretty much parallels Pula's so we can now go on to other things.

Every Dalmatian town has an a klapa or a cappella singing group

The Peristil or main court of Diocletian's Palace and entrance to the Cathedral of St Dominus

Looks like this lamb laid down with the lion and died. 

The Alter of the Cathedral of St Dominus

Back side of the alter 

Nice mix of early Roman and later Christian art

Jupiter's Temple now St John's Baptistery with St John by Ivan Meštrović    

Ferries to the islands or Italy

Split makes a good starting point for visiting some of the islands along the Dalmatian coast.  One can walk through the old town built on the remains of Diocletian's Palace.  Facing the harbor is the Riva, the town's promenade.  Above town and extending to the end of the peninsula is Park Šuma Marjan providing nature and fabulous views, both of Split and out to sea.  Below the hill on the edge of the park closest to town visit the Galerija Meštrović, the former home of Ivan Meštrović.  Ivan Meštrović is Croatia's Rodin.  His work is found around town as well.

Bishop Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović

The 16th Century poet Marko Marulić considered the father of the Croatian language by (you guessed it) Ivan Meštrović