With the summer season coming to an end another season must come to an end - fig season.

Fete de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, takes place each year on June 21st.

What do you know about Marmontova street?

Italian businessman Riccardo Mazzucchelli, known for a number of real estate acquisitions, has decided to sell part of his assets in Split.

Since Thursday is essentially the start to a weekend, and Advent in Split is full with things to do, here are the concert happenings and events taking over the holiday season in Split from tonight, 15 December to Sunday 18 December.

Tonight in Split opens an exhibition by Stephan Lupino, exposing a series of nudes, portraits and photos of his sculptures.

The Fête de la Musique', also known as Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration taking place on 21 June. We will be celebrating in Split tomorrow with a series of musical events!

Chops Grill Steak & Seafood, located in the center of Split just off of Marmontova, offers an incredible array of great steaks and seafood, pastas and salads, all paired with carefully chosen Croatian wines. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and are open 7 days a week.

Chops came to exist because there seemed to be an urgency for more international restaurants in the city center. There needed to be something with a spacious seating area unlike the crowded tables in the alleyways, and something with a new and innovative concept. Already having put together a highly experienced management team that had specialized in tourism, Chops was ready to join the ever growing restaurant scene in Split, and introduced Splićani to something a bit more international. Therein lies Chops, the first proper steakhouse in Split, and we’re definitely not complaining.

Marmontova (Marmont’s Street) is today a popular pedestrian street leading north from Riva towards Trg Gaje Bulata, which is where the Croatian National Theatre is located. Other than housing glitzy shops, Marmontova bears historical significance too.

When Napoleon conquered Dalmatia in the early 19^th century, his supervising General Auguste Marmont looked over infrastructural developments in Split. Marmont urbanized the city by bringing electricity to Split for the first time, tearing down unnecessary structures, and creating a more viable street grid. In honor of these improvements, the city has immortalized Marmont’s name by calling one of its most visited streets after him.

Along Marmontova you will find “Alliance Francaise,” a French culture and language center suitably located on a street named after a Frenchman. Previously, this location was a library and reading room founded in 1922.

Along the street is Split’s oldest pharmacy, “Varoš” from 1856, which is fitted with furniture from an even older Italian pharmacy. Wooden cabinets are from the time of the Renaissance and various neo- Renaissance decorations and figurines, notably Galen (the Greek physician) and Aesculapius (the God of doctors in Roman mythology) are still found in the space today; a cute little stop for medical dorks.

For the artsy crowd, there is an ever-changing photography exhibition at Galerija Fotoklub Split housed in a beautiful Secession style palace “Duplančić”, and another little gallery on the street often displays quirky art by local artists. Just off Marmontova is Split oldest cinema, Karaman, from 1907.

Most popular is the Fish Market (Ribarnica, or Peškarija in dialect), known as the “belly button of Marmontova” and a monument of the city where locals come early to buy the best the Adriatic has to offer. It is housed in a Secession style building with ironworks and white stone slabs displaying the freshest catch. As the city has grown, so has the market, now taking up some outdoor space as well. Visitors will be surprised to notice that the market is not bothered by flies; this is due to the smell of the nearby sulfur springs.

Along the street is the public Split Spa facility housed in a great Art Nouveau building by local architect Kamilo Tončić, recognized by its captivating sculptures of topless women on its façade.

Curiosity will catch your eye as you spot the peculiar Pirja Fountain, a funnel-like sculpture on the ground and a fisted hand on the wall above where water aims into the funnel. The fisted hand shows the thumb protruding between the index finger and middle finger, showcasing a typical hand sign from Split, šipak, with a versatile definition of up yours, whatever, or nothing. Unfortunately, the fountain has not been in use much as the water splashes onto pedestrians. Ironically, the šipak faces directly to Zagreb; a coincidence perhaps?

image by croatiaholidayshr.com

Below maps show that the šipak is facing Zagreb

At the top of Marmontova is the square of Trg Gaje Bulata where you will find one of the best examples of modernist church architecture in “Gospe od Zdravlja” covering a still-preserved 17^th century Franciscan monastery bell tower. Dominating the square is the bright Croatian National Theater of Split built in 1893, considered one of the biggest and oldest theater houses in the Mediterranean.

image by skyscrapercity.com

There are many branded shops along Marmontova, including Bershka, Paul&Shark, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, Benetton, O'Neill, designer eyewear in Optika Anda and a full optical service in Salmoiraghi & Vigano.