And learn about our city’s rich history from our guide, Linda. That’s how we spent our Saturday here in Split: by hanging out with each other and with the main star of our show – Split, of course!

We started our journey through Split’s history and architecture at the Bronze Model of Split. That was both our meeting point, as well as the first chapter of this story about Split.

This is where Linda gave us an overview of the city and its founding, revealed the secret behind Split’s name and outlined all major points in its history: from Delmati, Greeks, and Romans in ancient times, to what Split is today and everything in between.

Our exploration then continued in the Cellars of Diocletian’s Palace. These subterranean structures, located at the southern end of Diocletian’s Palace, were once directly under the private apartments of Emperor Diocletian. They are also one of the best-preserved ancient complexes of this kind in the entire world.

Therefore, it is no wonder that they make part of UNESCO’s World Heritage and are protected as such. And while the former Emperor’s apartments and the Palace itself have been changed throughout history by people moving inside the Palace walls and building houses there, the Cellars give us an idea of how the Palace looked so many years ago.

The next stop in this “Locals’n’Nomads” adventure with Linda was Peristyle, the main square of the Palace, where we learned about Gorgona the Sphinx, the Temple of Diocletian (nowadays the Cathedral), the St. Domnius bell tower, the nearby Temple of Jupiter, and how this square, as well as the rest of the Palace, evolved through time.

We then continued on through the Vestibule, the first section of the imperial corridor of the Palace and the formal entrance to the imperial apartments. Also – a good place for an interesting selfie with the St. Domnius bell tower. If you know your camera angles well.

After passing through the Vestibule, we were officially in Diocletian’s home. And while some traces of its Roman times remain, it was interesting to witness all the architectural mixes there – from ancient to modern.

Proving once again how interesting the Diocletian’s Palace truly is by being both an ancient monument and a place where people still live to this day.

When we finished our imperial visit, we couldn’t miss some of Split’s peculiarities: taking a photo in the tiniest street in the world right next to the Jupiter’s Temple called “Pusti me proć’” (aptly named: Let me pass) and trying a chocolate pizza at Split’s chocolaterie “Nadalina”.

Then our adventurous journey took us towards the Golden Gate, as well as to Pjaca (People’s Square) and Voćni Trg (Fruit Square), all the while we listened to Linda teaching us more of the fascinating story and history of Split.

We finished our tour at Riva but we were not tired of each other’s company yet, so it was time for – you guessed it – coffee! Destination the famous D16 Coffee where we got some caffeine to-go which we then enjoyed in good company at Đardin.

Overall, it was a lovely Saturday morning we spent together and we are very thankful for Linda’s willingness to help both locals and nomads alike discover Split and all its rich history has to offer!

This concluded our “Locals’n’Nomads” adventure.

We hope we’ll see you at the next meetup, so – watch this space!

p.s. For those curious about previous editions of the “Locals’n’Nomads” meetup, the overviews can be found here: LN-1, LN-2, LN-3, LN-4, LN-5, LN-6, and LN-7.

Photos by: Bruno Dubravec