May 17, 2022 - Singing 'Aces High' by Iron Maiden, Metaklapa opened the long-awaited debut album promotion 'The Choir of Beasts' in the cellars of Diocletian's Palace in Split. The unique blend of a cappella and heavy metal music perfectly fits this ancient acoustic space.

The talent of Metaklapa and the project's uniqueness have been recognized by foreign publishers (NoCut Entertainment) and manager Jochen Kühling, who has ambitious plans with these extraordinary singers. Jochen Kühling told the audience that he loves klapa music and that at concerts in Berlin, he was convinced that other Germans love klapa music, just like their energy. After meeting Metaklapa, he fell in love, he says, with Iron Maiden. Their goal is to hold concerts to bring the klapa way of singing closer to audiences worldwide, reports Dalmatinski Portal. 

Musician and friend of the band Josip Radić (Valentino Bošković, Kensington Lima) had the opportunity to be among the first to hear Iron Maiden klapa-style and participate in the band's formation - the idea was born one evening on Brač while singing.

The audience could listen to several Iron Maiden songs live at the promotion, including: 'Blood Brothers,' 'The Evil That Men Do,' and 'Fear of the Dark'.

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Focused on vocal performance, the Metaklapa members managed to preserve the spirit of the klapa tradition and the fierce character of the cult metal band Iron Maiden.

The album 'The Choir of Beasts' was released this year by Hamburg-based NoCut Entertainment and Menart / Beton Musica, published for the regional market. It is produced by Marko Matijević Sekul (Manntra) and Žarko Pak.

For their debut album, Metaklapa has selected ten interesting and challenging songs for the klapa to cover, such as 'Fear of the Dark', 'Aces High', 'Wasted Years', 'Flight of Icarus' or 'Caught Somewhere in Time.' 

"Their music easily transforms into a pure a cappella arrangement, but until we started the project, we were not even aware of how metal could sound in a klapa way. The songs are usually sung with four voices, although there are often parts with five different vocal lines, which gives them a very unusual density in sound. Our manager Jochen Kühling and publishers from NoCut Entertainment are delighted with the klapa heavy metal songs idea and believe that it is something unique that cannot be copied elsewhere in the world," says Dino Demicheli, emphasizing that Metaklapa has received an invitation to the Wacken Festival, the world's largest festival of heavy metal music, along with festivals in Berlin, Daruvar and Mali Lošinj, while more concerts abroad are expected.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

May 7, 2022 - Everyone's favorite Diocletian's Cellar wine event returns after a two-year hiatus. Vinski Podrum is back on May 20 and 21!

The highly anticipated festival of wine and delicacies organized by Slobodna Dalmacija returns to Diocletian's cellars after two years! The event is held in one of the most beautiful wine cellars in the world, which, like the entire imperial palace, is under UNESCO protection, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

On Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21, numerous winemakers, wine lovers, olive growers, olive oil lovers and connoisseurs will gather in Split for a wonderful festival of wine and delicacies. The pandemic postponed the event in 2020 and 2021, or else this could have been the 10th jubilee Slobodna Dalmacija Vinski Podrum.

Winemakers from all parts of Croatia, but also neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, proudly come to show the best wines from their cellars, allowing visitors to hop from stand to stand to taste different wines and vineyards, terroirs and varieties.

The mighty plavac from Pelješac, Hvar, Vis, and Kaštela, fragrant Malvasia from Dubrovnik from Konavle, pošip, Grk and maraština, Imotski kujundžuša, žlahtina from Krk, special merlot, syrah, and cabarnet, world-award-winning ice wines from Zagorje, vintages, and the most beautiful Traminer wines of Ilok are just a part of what will be offered at this year's event. 

Visitors will also be able to taste a selection of delicacies, with top-quality prosciutto, cheeses, marinated and salted fish, chocolates and various other treats. Internationally awarded olive oils from Dalmatia to Istria and even Herzegovina will also be on offer, and unique workshops will help you distinguish good from bad olive oils and pair food and wine.

Other workshops have been designed to premiere new wines, special sparkling wines, the great story about prosecco, the mighty vineyards of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Vis Vugava, indigenous Dalmatian varieties, and syrah!

The Vinski Podrum event in Diocletian's Cellars brings the strongest lineup yet! 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

January 24, 2022 - The Diocletian's Palace Silver Gate reconstruction is planned, which will be the most significant intervention in that part of the Palace in the last 70 years.

The Silver Gate of Diocletian's Palace is now clear from the stands that occupied this area for years. The announcement received a lot of praise and coincided with the removal of the tents from Hrvojeva Street, which obscured the view of the Palace's eastern wall for decades.

But what the city authorities did not announce is that the Diocletian's Palace Silver Gate reconstruction is planned, reports Slobodna Dalmacija. Indeed, it is the most significant intervention in that part of the Palace in the last 70 years, since the 1950s, when the Silver Gate was restored after the Allied bombing in World War II. 

On December 30, 2021, the Split Old Town Center and Heritage Department applied for a building permit to the Administrative Department for Physical Planning and Planning and Environmental Protection. The building plot for which the permit was requested covers the northern part of the eastern wall of the Palace, from the northeast tower to the Silver Gate, together with the cadastral parcel of the Emanuel Vidović Gallery.

The project was requested by the City of Split through public procurement in 2018, and the selected designer, architect Ivo Vojnović, explains that they worked on it for a long time with conservators, who eventually gave all approvals to build a promenade on the east wall of the Palace, which includes bridging the Silver Gate.

"Several variants have been changed with the recommendations of the conservator, first of all, Mr. Radoslav Bužančić. In the end, we figured out how to bridge the gap over the Silver Gate. The last variant is to make one steel walkway, i.e., a bridge. That route would be placed behind the current front of the Silver Gate," Vojnović explains.

"The reconstruction of the ancient wall, which does not exist today, would be performed as another support for that bridge. Of what you see as the Silver Gate, little has survived in its original state. Everything was reconstructed after World War II. They have been largely restored. Today, it is not visible because time has done its thing, the stone has turned gray, so there is not so much difference between the new and the old parts. However, especially the inner part of the Silver Gate is completely new, and there used to be a church there," the architect notes.

"Our generation would add another intervention that is missing. The same wall now at the front of the Silver Gate, with the same number of openings, would also appear on the inside of the Palace wall. In this part, a steel patrol would appear that would be contemporary. This is how it is done today; you do not go into historicist mimicry but perform an intervention in a modern way. However, it would be hidden, it would not be so invasive, but it would be inside two walls, only two ends would be visible to it. So the walls will hide that steel bridge, and in that way, we would also contribute to the original look of the Silver Gate. This would solve two problems. We would hide this new steel promenade within two walls and contribute to the perception of the original condition of the Silver Gate," Vojnović points out, adding that the Silver Gate is originally very similar to the Western Gate, almost identical.

Department for the Split Old Town and Heritage

The intervention would also put into operation an ancient corridor, which cannot be reached today—an inaccessible "terrace" above the central arch leading to the Silver Gate. A new project that would add a wall on the west side of the Silver Gate would also make this former ancient corridor passable. To achieve this, it is necessary to connect with the Vidović Gallery, from where you would enter the old passage and enter the area above the entrance to the Silver Gate.

"If you came there, a beautiful view of Decumanus would open up from that place. With this intervention, that part of the Palace would become accessible to citizens and tourists, as well as visitors to the Emanuel Vidović Gallery, which would thus benefit," adds the architect.

The project also envisages that from the Vidović Gallery, you can access the upper promenade that would run along the east wall of the Palace. Thus, visitors to this Gallery would have access to the promenade that is intended to be reconstructed on the east wall of the Palace. Furthermore, the Vidović Gallery is part of the Split City Museum, which allows visitors to access the north wall of the Palace. Therefore, the city administration instructed the Museum and managing Diocletian's cellars to take care of the tour of the Palace.

"The project covers the entire eastern wall of Diocletian's Palace. In addition, we are working on the project of the Lukačićeva 5 building for the needs of the Split City Museum. Furthermore, a southeast tower with a terrace would be included. With all this, we would get one link that would go through the entire eastern facade of the Palace, from Lukačić, through the southeast tower to the Silver Gate, and up to the northeast tower,"  the architect announces.

This is not the end of design ambitions. The connection of the eastern Palace wall with the promenade on its northern wall is intended to be solved using a steel bridge. Namely, on that corner of the Palace is the northeast tower, now privately owned. To establish a promenade along the north and east walls of the Palace, the project envisioned the installation of a steel bridge that would bypass the tower diagonally. In this way, one could move from the north to the east wall of Diocletian's Palace. This project was planned from the inside of the promenade, so it would not be visible to those who observe the walls of the Palace from the outside.

"The bridge would remain steel in the sense that it would not be covered with stone," says Vojnović because "modern intervention must remain modern. Such is UNESCO's propositions - it must not be dressed in historicist clothes and thus deceive people, experts, and science. You must stay consistent. Anything new must stand out as such. It must not be adorned and put on some neo-Gothic or other neo-styles, quite the opposite." 

Thus, the stone placed on the Silver Gate for the reconstruction of the wall on the inside of the Palace will differ from the original ancient stone in terms of processing.

"New stone turns gray within a few years, but it is always important to see what is originally preserved and what is a reconstruction. It is in our obligation and ethics, we must always point out the difference, not to deceive people," he adds. 

As for the Silver Gate, under the steel bridge or footbridge, which will be bridged due to the need for a promenade, an ancient defensive corridor would be reconstructed, which is currently not accessible. It could be accessed from the second floor of the Vidović Gallery. This is why the demolition of one historical layer in the Palace would be carried out, which the conservators allowed.

Namely, right next to the Gallery building in the east wall of the Palace, there is the so-called "Venetian Passage," next to the Silver Gate's entrance arch. Above the "Venetian Passage" is a small house. It is a bridge that led from the building of the former gymnasium, which was before the Vidović Gallery, to the sacristy of the church from Dobrić, demolished after the Second World War. This space is now a warehouse for the Art Gallery, and in the future, a corridor would be built that could lead directly from the Gallery to the defensive corridor. It is intended to remove the roof and the upper part of the house and close the window to allow access to the ancient part of the hallway.

The head of the Split Old Town and Heritage Department, Jasna Jerkov, says that this is a long-term project of restoring the medieval patrol on the walls.

"The documentation for the northern and southern part of the eastern wall was merged and entered the project "Palace of Life - City of Changes." The Silver Gate is not easy to bridge; there have been several proposals, the last one has been communicated with the conservators. Funds have been left in the budget, but it is a question of rebalance and dynamics. We are starting work on the southern part of the eastern wall through an EU project. Unfortunately, we do not have access through Rodrigina Ulica to the north wall, the existing proposal did not pass, and we do not know if it will come to life one day. However, for now, we have the southeast tower and the Vidović Gallery as access points through which the route of the future promenade opens," Jasna Jerkov explains.

When would the work begin?

"Work on the southern part of the eastern wall should begin later this year. Work on the northern part of the eastern wall may begin this year, which may go in stages. But it's too early to talk about it, so don't take my word for it," says the head of the city service cautiously.

There will be a thin metal fence on the promenade in some areas. 

"You have to make a compromise somewhere, but it is a reversible detail. What does not endanger a monument? If one day in 50 years it is concluded that it is desecrating the monument in any form, it will be removed. I think this should become a public monument. When a part of the Silver Gate was reconstructed after the Second World War and the church there was removed, it took time for people to get used to that view. Our intervention may not be so great; those who look up will see it. I wonder if we are ready for such a change. I think we are," concludes the head of the Split Old Town and Heritage Department.

However, the restoration of the promenade along the walls of the Palace is not unequivocally understood between conservators, city services, and residents of the Palace, nor is it an issue that is always quickly resolved. Also, no matter how temperamental the public's reactions in Split have always been, they can be reduced to the following. If an intervention is made on the monument just for tourism, there will be fierce criticism. However, if it is concluded that the project was nevertheless undertaken to revitalize the heritage, then over time, it will be accepted that the intervention was justified.

"I have never experienced, and we have been doing this project for a long time, that it is for tourism. Tourism is emerging as one of the possibilities of that famous word "self-sustainability." It is a public space, which you could never see. Recently, a conservator sent me an ad: "An apartment with a terrace on the walls for sale." I mean, private owners own that space. It's all a matter of agreement; it's about visiting regimes. We don't have the walls of Dubrovnik; we have narrow passages on the walls. But they must be available. People will not be denied access to the walls of their houses, but there is no chance that they will remain inaccessible to everyone except them and their guests," Jasna Jerkov believes.

Architect Vojnović claims that Diocletian's Palace's perimeter walls are two and a half meters thick and have their cadastral parcel. Therefore, houses have been leaning against the walls of the Palace since the Middle Ages.

"Although the owners are "buzzing" the wall to get a few more square meters, the city always owns it. So there is no controversy; we go along the top of the wall, which has its own cadastral parcel and is owned by the City. Don Frane Bulić also copied it to the City at that time, and that's how it stands. We walk on the city property, and the houses are leaning against the city wall, and we don't touch them. Tenants coming out on the promenade privatized part of it, put up some tiles, chairs, and so on. The one who has guests brings them upstairs. You cannot forbid a house that has access to use it, it is better to maintain and clean that space, but the City is still the owner and has the right to introduce a regime that decides.

People have fenced off some parts, somewhere there is a dangerous condition for climbing and rot, pieces are falling. Fewer people arranged it. In some parts, there are air conditioners that we will have to separate, somewhere there are roofs that are threatening to collapse. So, we will rehabilitate a good part of the promenade for the common good," concludes Vojnović.

One of the examples where private interests meet with reconstruction projects is the dilapidated building in Lukačićeva 3. The building inspection ordered that constructive remediation be carried out to save the statically endangered house. Still, the Split Old Town and Heritage Department was asked to take the remediation project to consider the promenade aspect. Namely, there were stairs to the promenade where the house was. The house also has direct contact with the Cellars, which is a rarity.

"Now the purpose is not prejudiced during the renovation, but since the house has contact with the Cellars and the promenade, it would be good for the house to be a communication hub. The house is a townhouse, but the rights are claimed. Although surveyors could not get in because of the crowded garbage on the ground floor, we finally managed to communicate to let them in," Jerkov concludes about this neglected property.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

November 30, 2021 - Archaeological findings have uncovered an ancient Spalatum port in the Split area, tracing back to the Roman settlement in the 2nd century. 

The conclusion of the latest archeological campaign in the Spinut seabed on the north side of Marjan is an archaeological sensation: there, during the Roman settlement of Spalatum, in the 2nd century, an ancient port was built, which reached its peak during the construction of Diocletian's Palace, reports Slobodna Dalmacija. 

From the port, the road led to Spalatum, a settlement in the area of today's Manuš, inscribed on the ancient road map Tabula Peutingeriani from the 2nd century. It continued to the Diocletian's Palace construction site 200 meters away.

The underwater site in Spinut has been known since the 1950s, and in the mid-1960s, thanks to the efforts of Mladen Nikolanci, director of the Archaeological Museum in Split, and Nenad Cambi, the museum's curator at the time, interest in Split's underwater archaeological heritage began.

Nenad Cambi has on several occasions analyzed the Spanish and North African amphorae found in Spinut, and Irena Radić Rossi conducted archaeological research in 2006, finding that it was still an ancient port.

As part of the "Underwater Heritage of Marjan" project, run by the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments in cooperation with the Diving Club "Špinut", minor archeological excavations were carried out at the underwater archeological site in front of the "Gusar" rowing club.

"Examining the Marjan seabed during September and October this year, the attention of archaeologists was attracted by slab bricks measuring 36 cm x 36 cm, exactly the ones most used in the construction of Diocletian's Palace, especially in the construction of arches. They are scarce in other sites in Dalmatia.

Along with other material found during the smaller soundings, it became clear that the Spinut port was used in Diocletian's time. The large-scale construction project required the constant supply and storage of bricks, stone, wood, food, and other necessities for slaves and workers engaged in the construction of the Palace.

"In front of the Palace was the main port, while Spinut was most likely an auxiliary port," explained Dr. Miroslav Katic, director of MHAS, adding that a good part of the construction material for the Palace had to be stored.

"Pillars were brought from Egypt, marble from Greece, and various luxury materials for furnishing buildings from other parts of the Mediterranean. The unloaded material was not immediately installed, but stored and taken as dictated by the dynamics of the works."

Material from the port of Spinut was transported to the Palace by a 1.5-kilometer road. The reconstruction of the ancient landscape of Split, made by Dalibor Popovič, best evokes the land connection, i.e., the road that approached the Palace from the west, points out Katic.

Research has revealed the intense activity of the port in the 2nd century, and according to experts, it may have been repaired at the end of the 3rd century, when the construction of Diocletian's Palace began and its use continued in late antiquity.

"In fact, it was created during Spalatum, a Roman settlement that preceded the Palace. It initially served farm buildings located somewhere in Spinut and reached its operational peak in Diocletian's time," they added.

The archaeologists concluded that the transport of a larger quantity of goods between Salona and Spalatum, i.e., the Palace, was more accessible and safer by sea than by land.

The research in Spinut, i.e., the "Marjan's Underwater Heritage" project, is co-financed by Split-Dalmatia County in the Program for the Development, Protection, and Valorization of Maritime Heritage in Split-Dalmatia County.

As an associate and partner of the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments, Marjan Park-Forest is collaborating to produce a small video that will present Marjan's underwater heritage to the general public.

The head of archaeological research in Spinut is the curator of MHAS Miroslav Gogala, and archaeologists Miroslav Katić and Nikolina Uroda, and Dalibor Burić participated in the research. Divers Bruno Stanić, Antonija Grubišić Čabo, Stipe Boban, Jakša Babić and Paško Krančević from RK Špinut participated.

Work on examining Marjan's underwater heritage will continue next year.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 23, 2021 - Continuing the TCN series answering the questions posed by Google's People Also Ask function, this time, one that is asked more often than not. How many days in Split is enough? 

This is the ultimate question. And if you really wanted my honest opinion, I'd tell you to stay forever (here is why). Because that is not a reality for everyone, I've set out to find a happy medium for travelers making their way to Split, based on various scenarios, like seasons, main attractions, and those balancing the work-travel lifestyle of a digital nomad. 

So, how many days in Split is enough?

While I have been visiting Split since 1996, I only really first fell in love with the city during my first full year here, or once I experienced Split outside of the peak summer months. September is now my favorite month in Split, and the magic of Diocletian's Palace during a brisk bura breeze or a warm spring day on Marjan is beyond compare. 

But Split has and always will draw hordes of tourists in the summertime, and it's not difficult to see why. Thanks to its glistening coastline, outdoor activities, bustling city center, vibrant nightlife, and booming culinary scene, Split could equal one of Europe's top metropolitan cities if it maintained the summer buzz year-round.

But there is certainly an argument for each season and how many days are adequate given the time of year. Though I believe it all comes down to preference, in the end. 

How many days in Split is enough in the preseason?

Ah, the magic of spring! While Croatia's preseason begins earlier each year, it's safe to say that Easter weekend is the official start of the preseason. However, before COVID-19, many airlines launched their summer flight schedules at the end of March, bringing tourists to Split even before the spring holiday. While there may not be as many connections now given the current circumstances (some airlines are pushing traffic back to May), if there is a will, there is a way - and Split in spring is pure bliss. 

You'll notice restaurants and bars reopening after winter hibernation, sunny days and temps in the teens (Celsius), and empty alleyways usually swarmed by tourists in the summer. The biggest crowd you'll find is that of sunglass-clad locals gathering on the Riva for their morning coffee, enjoying every moment of spring sun before the summer storm (of tourists). 

Matthew Christopher Miller

Nature flourishes in the spring. The local green markets are decorated with seasonal charms like wild asparagus and fava beans. Active tourism enthusiasts can hike in the hinterland or enjoy Mosor mountain without the blazing heat. 

Spring is also crowned by events, the highlight of which is Split City Day, Sveti Duje, celebrated on May 7 each year. The event gathers thousands of citizens in the center for concerts, boat races, and fairs for days. While we can't say which events will happen this spring, the Croatia Boat Show has been announced for May, bringing the nautical elite, restauranteurs, and tourism reps to Split for five days before the official start of the 'peak' season.

Those of you looking to take day trips to islands will find that Jadrolinija still operates on the winter schedule, resulting in fewer connections (and much of the island closed). Still, those traveling by car can embark on journeys up and down to the coast, and even enjoy cheaper ticket prices at Krka National Park, only an hour away. 

Visiting in the spring also comes with friendlier accommodation prices, making it a season with more bang for your buck! 

Split in the spring is a sort of re-birth - when the city and its people come alive. While much of the city is just waking up, we suggest you take your time to enjoy the serenity of Split in the spring, and if you stay here long enough, you may even be able to swim. 

How many days in Split is enough in the peak season?

Because most people choose to visit Split in the summer, how many days in the peak season is enough? 

My honest answer to friends visiting from California is usually no less than five days. Why? Because while Split is a travel hub with access year-round, it is the epicenter of Dalmatia in the summer. 

The truth is, those five days are never enough, and the majority of my friends plan to come for a week or more the next time they visit. 

But what makes Split so hot (literally) in the summer?

In short, the city is a playground for all types of tourists. Whether you're in your early 20s and want to go bar hopping and nightclubbing until the early morning hours, or rather spend your days at the beach, trying your hand at water sports and rock climbing adventures, or exploring the historic center and its culinary charms, there really is something for everyone here. 

And if you grow tired of Split (though highly unlikely)? It's the perfect base for a day trip to the islands, with numerous connections and Brač, Hvar, and Šolta only an hour away. You can hop on the bus or rent a car to visit the UNESCO-protected museum town of Trogir in 30 minutes, or head down the coast for a canyoning adventure in Omiš (but beware of summer traffic). You can tick off Šibenik, Primošten, and Rogoznica on a day trip to Krka National Park and head inland to horseback ride in Sinj (or watch the  Sinjska Alka) in under an hour. 

Music festivals like Ultra Europe see partygoers stay in Split for a week during the summer, while the Split Summer Festival and Diocletian Days events keep tourists amused with live music and historical entertainment for weeks on end. 

The weather is HOT, the sun is shining, the sea is warm, and the air connections aplenty. If you don't mind the crowds or the heat, there is no time limit to Split in the summer. That is if you can afford it. 

How many days in Split is enough in the offseason?

Split's shoulder season has become a favorite time for visitors, as September and October offer the perks of summer with usually milder weather and without the peakseason crowds. 

The true offseason, however, is usually the quietest time of the year in Split. Some of Split's restaurants go into winter hibernation, as do its people, and empty squares and promenades are a reality in November.

But winter does have its perks, and while locals need some time to rest after a summer of hard work, they come back out to play in December for the festive Advent event. While we didn't get to enjoy it in 2020 due to obvious reasons, Advent usually lasts the entire month of December and into January, where you can ice skate, imbibe on mulled wine and hot gin, and enjoy sausages, live music, and Christmas-themed events. 

You’ll also find that many restaurants in Split embrace the colder months with fare destined to warm your bellies, and many restaurants in the city stay true to the classics and traditions of Croatia for the new season to give you a taste of home cooking. 

January and February are always the slowest months in Split, and whatever bars and restaurants reopened for Advent may close for 'renovations' until the spring. 

But the offseason still offers plenty to do, like visiting its museums (Split City Museum, Meštrović Gallery, and Museum of Illusions are some of the most popular). You can enjoy ballet and musicals at the Croatian National Theater or catch the city's beloved football club Hajduk at Poljud until mid-December before they break until the end of January. 

Split is also only a couple of hours away from Kupres in Bosnia & Herzegovina, a hit for Dalmatian skiers in the winter. 

Nature never goes anywhere, and you could spend weeks exploring the natural wonders of the region with Split as your base. And if you can brave the winter bura wind, you may want to stay even longer. 

How many days in Split is enough to explore Diocletian's Palace?

Now, one of the main draws to Split is Diocletian's Palace - and it's no surprise why. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was once Emporer Diocletian's retirement home, and today it wows world travelers thanks to its beauty and grandeur.  

But how many days in Split do you need to explore this 4th-century palace? 

It's first important to know that the palace makes up the city center's historic core and is marked by four gates through which you enter - the Golden Gate, Silver Gate, Iron Gate, and Brass Gate. Once you're within the palace walls, you'll notice shops, restaurants, bars, all connected by narrow cobblestone alleyways, which will likely get you lost more often than not. 

The palace is also marked by many historical attractions, like the Saint Domnius Cathedral, Peristyle, Vestibule, Temple of Jupiter, and, of course, the famous substructures, or Diocletian's basement. 

You could spend all day walking around Diocletian's Palace without really realizing it as local life bustles through, but should you stop to examine the details; you'll want to spend a bit of time here. Some say that a 75-minute walking tour is enough to experience Diocletian's Palace and its 1700-year-old history, which is probably true. But if you were to really embrace the essence of what Diocletian's Palace is for the city today, you'll need at least a few days eating and drinking your way around palace walls, among the locals, to stumble upon all of its charms. 

How many days in Split is enough for a digital nomad?

If you're balancing the work-travel lifestyle and are planning on taking advantage of the new digital nomad visa in Croatia, we suggest you make full use and stay a year. Split is a mecca of coffee shops and new coworking spaces. You can enjoy fast internet, good weather, and safe streets. It's also affordable for long-term rentals in comparison to other European cities. Not to mention you'll get to experience everything I've written above - every season, every inch of Diocletian's Palace, and everything that makes Split as special as it is. 

Saltwater Coworking Space

Conclusion: How many days in Split is enough?

All in all, that's entirely up to your time, budget and preference. Truly, there is no number of days too large. I am going on six years here and Split still finds ways to surprise me. You will certainly feel the magic of Split during an afternoon coffee or a night around town, but to truly embrace the essence of the city, do yourself a favor and stay a little longer. 

To follow the People Also Ask Google about Croatia series, click here.

October 20, 2020 - UNESCO World Heritage Site Diocletian's Palace will be live-streamed to viewers around the world on Thursday, October 22, as part of the 'See Together Challenge' by Seoul company Magenta. 

Magenta, a documentary production company based in Seoul, South Korea, is launching a new project titled ‘See Together Challenge’. 

The project is co-hosted by SK Telecom, the National Korean Committee for UNESCO, and Magenta, and is funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and supported by the Korea Radio Promotion Association.

‘See Together Challenge’ was envisioned to lift spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic and to raise awareness of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the importance of their preservation.

Namely, project participants will film and live stream UNESCO World Heritage Site(s) to global viewers for 1 hour and then pass on the live stream to the next participant, who will film for an hour at their location, and so forth. The videos will be live-streamed on Youtube and will run 24 hours a day, for one week, beginning on October 21, 2020.  

The videos will also be edited into a two-part documentary on social distancing, which will be aired on KBS, a national broadcaster in South Korea.

Since Croatia boasts some of the world’s most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it comes as no surprise that the country will be featured in this admirable project. 

Thus, among the various Croatian UNESCO heritage sites is the breathtaking Diocletian's Palace. Famous Split tour guide Ivica Profaca will lead viewers through its ancient stone walls and unveil its history to future travelers around the world on October 22 at 10 am.

To find out more about our project, you can visit the official website and watch the official promo video HERE.

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June 7, 2020 - A 3D video by young Split student Petar Alfirevic envisions Diocletian's Palace as it once was. 

Dalmacija Danas writes that the Architectural and Geodetic Technical School in Split in the Erasmus + project not only helps students to complete cultural and heritage aspects, but also develops their intercultural competencies by promoting cultural differences as common values and wealth.

The students participating in this project are: 

Ante Dražen Tranfić, 3rd grade student, Marta Vladušić, 3rd grade student, Ante Pauk, 3rd grade student, architectural technician; Petar Alfirević, 2nd grade student, architectural technician; Toni Šarolić and Bernarda Franić, 2nd grade students, technician for geodesy and geoinformatics; Daniel Barada, 2nd c grade student and Petar Bašić, 2nd b grade student, construction technician; Ivan Žižić and Magdalena Vukušić, 2nd grade students, architectural technician.

Students most often present the heritage of Split by making models in wood, drawings, videos, floor plans, and 3d visualizations that work in ProgeCAD and SketchUp. This time, a genius and self-taugt student of the School of Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Petar Alfirević, created a 3D video of Diocletian's Palace, faithfully reconstructing what it looked like in Diocletian's time. Modest by nature, unobtrusive and self-effacing, Peter spoke about his 3d video:

"I made the video in SketchUp. It took me about a month to finish it even though I worked a couple of days a week. I started from the floor plan of the whole palace and started to build the walls and towers. When I finished the walls, I made the northern part of the palace and after it, the Peristyle, the mausoleum, the Temple of Jupiter and then the rest of the southern part. I worked on the details later."

You can watch the brilliant new 3D video of Diocletian's Palace below:

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June 15, 2019 - 40 years of UNESCO's protection of Diocletian's Palace was marked in Split by an extraordinary menu crafted by Portofino and Olja Martinić. 

Garum is a fermented fish sauce that was a popular delicacy at the time of the Roman Empire, which is formed of the bacterial fermentation of the internal organs of fish.

Thanks to the remnants of this sauce found in the amphora at several different locations, scientists have been able to reconstruct the recipe. For the needs of the inhabitants of the Imperial Palace, garum was produced in the Split maritime zone, while the wealthy foodies bought expensive garum produced in Italy, Greece or the Spanish garum factories.

Matea Višić

Thanks to Portofino Steak, Pasta & Seafood in Split, after several hundred years, garum is once again on the plates inside of Diocletian's Palace.

Namely, on Friday, a spectacular themed 'Imperial lunch' was crafted in Split to celebrate 40 years of the UNESCO protection of Diocletian's Palace. 

“To bring food into focus to show the importance of Diocletian's palace and the restaurants that are in its heart, we decided to create a menu that can only be enjoyed in a restaurant that has three or more Michelin stars. Every real restaurant must produce garum itself, as there are no longer any factories as there used to be,” said nutritionist, dietician and organizer of the event, Olja Martinić, for Dalmacija Danas. 

Matea Višić

Each plate was crafted and prepared by the culinary team headed by boss Marko Đurašin, and each dish, which was never before prepared in this way in the city under Marjan, were further refined by Hils winery.

Matea Višić

The culinary tour began with sardines and anchovies, sauerkraut and kale, a Diocletian-inspired Caesar, and butter with garum on bread for the snacks. 

For the second course, guests enjoyed tuna prosciutto, tuna sausage, and bottarga.  The third course was adorned with saffron biscuits, marinated anchovies, and an anchovies ice cream, followed by three different marinades, green olives, pickled veggies and garum. 

Matea Višić

Next up was the barley orzoto with a spicy Dalmatian šalša, sashimi of tuna pancetta and foam of Pecorino Romano cheese - and then, wild pigeon, textured beets, hazelnuts, varenik, and a date foie gras. 

Matea Višić

And for dessert? A cosmopolitan of hydrated strawberries with a lime espuma, a fruit cocktail with smoked goat’s milk ice cream, and oenogarum - garum diluted with wine. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The project will make the center of Split more accessible for people with disabilities. 

Have you noticed banana peels taking over the streets of Split lately?