The Croatian coastline has one gem after another. Each town or city is unique and has something special to discover. Split, the second largest city in Croata, was the home of Diocletian, the Roman Empror at the turn of the fourth century, who had a palace built as his retirement home (he may be the only emperor to ever retire willingly). He must have been all worn out from persecuting the Christians. The palace sat empty for centuries after the Roman Empire fell until it was occupied by ordinary people who made it their home. Today the palace is a living museum as people who live in the palace mix with tourists wandering through their neighbourhood. We stayed just outside the Golden Gate (the north entrance) and wandered through the palace daily. There are lots of impressive ruins but it is also fascinating to see laundry hanging out to dry right above ancient Roman columns. There is a daily market next door and the promenade is a great place to people watch.
Nearby Trogir is a small coastal town that has an island Old Town that is quite quaint (let's face it, the whole coastline is one quaint town after another). We also stopped in orange growing valleys and the port communities of Makarska and Omis. You can't get bored driving through this country.
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