With a free morning to ourselves we decided to catch up on some organisational details for the next week or so as today is our last day travelling with the G Adventures group. Tomorrow we head north for our cycling and boating adventure starting at Pula on the Istrian Peninsula.
Our main sight seeing activity in the time remaining was to visit the Hvar Fortress that dominates the skyline to the north of Hvar city. Our enquiries about visiting a lavender farm were met with a ‘wrong time of the year’ type answer.
The climb up the hill from the city square to the fortress took about twenty minute and initially involved steep steps and then a zigzag pathway to the top. On the way up we passed the Benedictine Nunnery and the 17th century Church of St. Anthony the Abbot. A large sundial features on the high wall of the church.
Sundial on 17th century Church of St. Anthony the Abbot, Hvar
Hvar Fortress wall
Building of the fortress commenced in 1278 during the time that Hvar was under Venetian rule. Further construction occurred in 1551 and the fortress then provided refuge for the local population during the Turkish invasion of 1571. Unfortunately sometime later in October 1579 a lightning strike on the gunpowder store caused massive damage to the fortress and parts of the town below it. In the following centuries it underwent repairs and adaptations and at the beginning of the 19th century under Austrian rule barracks were built and the battlements raised.
The view of the city from the fortress makes the walk to the top well worthwhile and gauging from the number of visitors present it is undoubtedly one of the top tourist sites in Hvar.
View from Hvar Fortress
View from Hvar Fortress
View from Hvar Fortress
Apart from the views from the fortress we went below ground and visited the prison section that was dark and claustrophobic. Ancient artefacts including amphorae were on display in a small museum within the fortress walls.
Jak entering prison, Hvar Fortress
Prison cell, Hvar Fortress
At 13:00 our group plus many others boarded the Karolina ferry for the one-hour trip to Split. The sea was so flat and the wind non-existent that the hundreds of yachts in the Adriatic that we passed were all either becalmed or using engines to make way.
Our hotel in Split was just off the main harbour-side promenade called Riva and after checking in we gathered for a guided tour of the old city.
Split is Croatia’s second largest city with a population of about 200 000. It didn’t suffer like Dubrovnik during the 1990s war but was affected by the influx of many refugees from the conflict.
Split probably came into existence as a result of the Roman Emperor Diocletian deciding to retire here in the year AD305. His palace was built on a grand 170m by 190m ground plan with walls 2m thick and up to 26m high making it the largest private residence in antiquity!
Byzantium, the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarians, the Venetians and even Napoleon all left their mark on Split and today much of the original Emperor’s Palace is lost to more recent adaptations and the fact that now 300 local people now live inside the walls. There are still some tangible remnants of Roman times such as the marble paved roads, aquifers and some mosaic tiled paths.
We were told the name Split is derived from the Greek for the common yellow broom called ‘aspalatos’ that flowers in the local area. The word metamorphosed to Spalatum, Spalato and Spljet and eventually Split.
City Square, Split
Within the old city there was much to see including the entrance gates and the squares. The most striking of all was the Peristyle which is an open colonnaded square that formed the heart of Diocletian’s Palace. Diocletian spent his retirement years in Split having Christians captured, tortured and put to death. So many Christians were martyred that Diocletian apparently holds the record for saint creation. His battle against Christianity was eventually lost as two years after his death in AD316 the Milan Edict legitimised the religion and his sarcophagus was destroyed and on the site of his palace was built the tiny Cathedral of St. Domnius. Diocletian’s former mausoleum was built from white stone imported from the island of Brac and surrounding it are columns of pink granite brought in from Egypt; their capitals being Corinthian. Between two of the granite columns is a black and damaged sphinx that dates back to Thutmosis III (1504-1450BC).
Clock Tower, Old City, Split
Gater, Old City, Split
The bell tower (campanile) of the Cathedral is an imposing structure that’s clearly visible from most locations within the old town. On leaving the Peristyle we encountered five local male singers performing traditional madrigal songs in the domed vestibule which gave excellent acoustic effects.
The bell tower (campanile) of the Cathedral, Old City
Old City, Split
Sphinx, Old City, Split
Outside the Golden Gate we came across the huge bronze statue of Grgur Ninski a famous bishop from the 10th century. Touching his big toe is supposed to bring luck and make wishes come true.
Golden Gate, Old City
Original Roman stone pathway, Old City
Our departure from the old city was through an underground vaulted area now set up with souvenir markets leading to the sea gate.
We rested and consumed a cold beer after our informative tour of these ancient structures.
The day concluded with a dinner where farewells were expressed as tomorrow we all head of on our various ways as the group adventure is over. For our smaller group of six, a new adventure is to begin as we head to Istria for our boat and bike tour.