Inside Split

Dalmatian capital of style

Robin McKelvie explains
the appeal of the city packed with beauty and interest

Dubrovnik may be the most popular destination in Dalmatia for both tourists and holiday homeowners, but the region's largest city of Split is catching up fast. This stylish Adriatic port city has always boasted a stunning setting and one of the most impressive old towns in Europe, but these days its bountiful scenic charms are backed up by glitzy millionaire yachts, a flurry of trendy new cafes and bars, as well as rapidly expanding transport routes that are helping make glamorous Split more popular than ever.

Roman times

Croatia's second most populous city was originally founded on a whim by the Roman emperor Diocletian, who was born into a modest family in the nearby town of Salona before progressing through the ranks to become Europe's most powerful ruler. Diocletian decided to build his elaborate retirement palace by the Adriatic Sea here, but his plans of a restful seaside retirement cooled by refreshing Adriatic breezes ended in tragedy as infighting soon engulfed his former empire and he ended up poisoning himself within the grounds of the palace.

For centuries the ill fated palace, a colossal structure that was used to house the emperor, his family and all of his staff, as well as a powerful Roman garrison, fell into disarray. Its hulking great walls, some as wide as two metres thick in places and over twenty metres high, though remained strong and in the 7th century local Slavs fleeing the sacking of Diocletian's old stomping ground of Salona flocked into the palace complex to seek refuge and breathed new life into its dormant stone. Ever since they arrived as Slav squatters the citizens of the city, known as the Splicani, have woven in their own architectural touches, with elements of Austrian and Venetian architecture…