Our very own Professor came all the way from Jelsa just for this tour
Over the last decade, hundreds of foreigners, or expats to be more precise, have moved to Split and now call this Croatian city their home. However, many of them never had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the town to immerse themselves in its rich history and culture, until today that is. On January 21, 2016, Association of Local Tour Guides Split organised a free walking tour for all interested expats. From the moment Ivica Profaca posted the invitation on Facebook, interest was incredible and it took less than 24 hours to fill up the group. So, the day came for 35 expats from Russia, Hungary, Romania, China, Australia, US, Holland, France, UK and the famous Professor from Jelsa to finally meet Split.
The tour started in front of the miniature model of Split’s old town which is located on the east side of Riva. A quick overview of the origin of the city, details of Diocletian’s gruelling rule and persecution of Christians, a few jokes after we realized Diocletian was indeed a “vlaj” (born in Libovica near Split), and we were off. Next destination – walk through the substructure towards the Peristil square. Standing in front of the cathedral of Saint Domnius, now erected above Diocletian’s mausoleum (cosmic karma for his persecution of Christians), most expats were taken aback by the fact that the sphinx standing in front of the cathedral was indeed brought in from Egypt and that it dates back from the time of Thutmose II, meaning it is almost 3800 years old (something to think about next time you try and climb on it to take a perfect selfie after a few glasses of wine). You see, Diocletian, as the owner of Egypt, had the right to take anything out of the country so he decided to bring several sphinx and marble pillars back to Split. Come to think of it, he still took less than the British Museum.
All jokes aside, walking through the Jewish ghetto trying to count the menorah carvings in the walls, wandering up and down the two main ancient streets Cardo and Decumanus soaking up the stories about palace life, seeing the fusion of Roman, Venetian, French and some Austro-Hungarian influence throughout the old town and having Ivica as our limitless source of information made us all truly appreciate the city we now choose to call home. The final tour of the palace substructures and unavoidable reminder of all the scenes from Game of Thrones which were filmed within those ancient walls was the perfect way to end this incredibly exciting history lesson. For all of you that were unable to join us today, we hope you will clear out your schedule for the next tour. Just keep your eyes and ears open for the next tour announcement from the Association of Local Tour Guides Split.
