“It’s not the things you don’t know that trip you up. It’s the things you think you know, but you don’t. You fail to ask a certain question because you believe you know the answer. Separating your information from your assumptions can be very tricky business. “
-Claudia Gray
Lesson Learned: If you just want to get a boat out to Biševo to see the Blue Cave from Split…..forget it. All the deals you can find are for speed boats that do 5 or 6 islands with shopping and snorkeling stops. I understand that you are only allowed 5 to 15 minutes in the cave, and that it takes from 1 ½ to 2 hours to get there straight, but who needs all this for 10 or 11 hours. That’s not my idea of a great day. Besides, do you know how cold the water is in Croatia the first week in May? This ain’t the Caribbean, baby. Oh, you can do the speed boat thing for around $100 apiece, Bon Appetite.
Regrets: I wish I had my bike. There are a lot of places to ride here in Croatia. The Croatians are nuts about biking too. I can’t tell you how many riders we’ve seen in the past month (thousands, for sure). Yes, I can rent a bike, but I didn’t bring any of my gear, and personally I prefer my bike shorts, shoes, helmet, etc. I prefer having my own bike, too. My friend, Ken Teague and his wife are going to do a 3- week bike tour in France in May. That sounds like a great vacation. The next time we leave (after our daughter Nancy has her baby this fall) we may have to drag our bikes with us to Australia with us
Go-Date: Day 100, Wednesday, May 1
Sites covered in this post:
• Solin/Salona
A Day at the Salona
The remarkable and surprising to find Roman ruins of Salona are just outside Solin, a sleepy suburb just 5km northeast of Split where Ellen and I found an amazing Air BNB (in Solin) for nine days with Ivan & his lovely wife Ivana (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17587824?guests=1&adults=1&source_impression_id=p3_1556811606_wdxP3Lh%2BOpqq9bf7). They have created a small archaeological park down the street from us (no entrance fee), the Salona ruins are amazingly unencroached upon by the growing little town, extensive, and easy to visit testifying to the importance of this colony under Roman rule, but also to how unknown they are to the general public. This place was empty, except for several locals who were picnicking on what we found out was Croatian Labor Day. You’ll surely find them empty as all the casual tourists and tours are down in the mad-house old city of Split.
It takes at least one hour to visit the main sights (maybe less if you get caught in a thunderstorm like Ellen and I did). There are info panels in English, German, Croatian and French along the well-marked paths (they would be even better marked if the fields had been mowed). It’s about a 15-minute unshaded walk to the Amphitheatre at the park’s farthest reaches but you’ll find it’s a very pleasant walk past olive groves, orchards, vineyards, bee hives and flowering shrubs. There are plenty of places that make the perfect picnic spot. You may have to back track a bit because some of the paths have sights and info columns in both directions. The area is so small we didn’t find this to be a problem at all.
Salona was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. As an organized settlement Salona originates about 7th century BCE as an Illyrian settlement near the spring of river Jadro. In the first millennium the Greeks set up a marketplace in the village center. After the conquest by the Romans, Salona became the capital. The town successfully hung around as the capital because it sided with the future Roman emperor Julius Caesari (yes, the Richard Burton/Cleopatra-loving Caesar) in the civil war against Pompeius and Marcus Licinius Crassus. It pays to back the right horse in a race.
If you are driving, you’ll probably miss the entrance to the archaeological park on your first pass because it looks like the entrance to the Hotel Salona Palace parking lot. Bear left once off the street, hook a right at the little tavern (or stop for a drink and a bite to eat) onto the gravel road and 50 meters down you’ll find the Manastririne.
Manastirine, right before the entrance to the archaeological park. This necropolis had been in use from the 2nd century BC until the destruction of the city in the 7th century. In the 1st century AD, a Roman pagan necropolis emerged and it was here that the martyr Bishop Domnius was buried.
Tusculum Museum, this small museum serves as a ticket office and souvenir shop. Construction dates from the 19th century when it housed the pioneering archaeologist, Frane Bulic. There are a few artifacts from Salona but the most important archaeological finds are in the Split Archaeological Museum.
City Walls, proceed south down a path bordered by cypresses and note the remains of the original city fortifications. Although unimposing now, imagine them punctuated by the 90 towers that were erected in 170 CE.
Episcopal Center, when religious freedom prevailed in 313 CE, this episcopal center was built. Two basilicas dedicated to the early Christian martyrs were constructed in the 5th century followed by a baptistery and Bishop’s palace. The epicenter of early Christian Salona, this building complex is near a 3rd-century oratory where the very first Christians secretly gathered.
Thermae (public baths), just to the west is the Thermae which is characteristic of Roman towns. Although the city had multiple baths, the best preserved and largest one are those in the eastern part of the city called the Great Thermae, built in the second or beginning of third century CE.
Porta Caesarea, Take the signposted road leading west through Caesar’s Gate which marked the division between “old” Salona in the east and the “newer” first century extension to the west. Originally the gate was the eastern exit of the old town. The gate was flanked by two octagonal towers and there are the remains of an aqueduct.
Undocumented row of sarcophagi, I’m not sure what this is, but in a long, deep trench there are a dozen crypts all in a row. I’ve not found what they are in looking around on the Internet (but I haven’t looked real hard) but it is a curious sight.
Kapljuc, you’ll come to Kapljuc, another early Christian cemetery in which the basilica of the “Five Martyrs” was found. This aisled church once contained floor mosaics.
Amphitheatre, continue west and you’ll come to the Amphitheater at the northwestern end of the park. Built in the 2nd century, the arena was integrated into the town fortifications. Despite its relatively small size the Salonitan Amphitheatre held from 15,000 to 18,000 spectators. In the center of arena there was an opening which led into an underground corridor whose purpose was disposal of dead gladiators’ bodies (cleanliness is next to Godlessness). During Diocletian’s (yup, same guy as has the palace down in Split)persecutions of Christians, the Amphitheater was used as a site of executions, totally fair combat between women, children and sword-wielding slaves that were often captured soldiers from other lands, and animal combat for those that found human death matches a little extreme.
Only parts of substructures of this monumental building, as well as some fragments of architectural decoration and stone sculpture have been preserved. The Amphitheater was most severely damaged during the wars against the Turks in the 17th century when Venetians had it demolished for strategic reasons.
To be honest, we had no idea this place existed before our arrival. What a pleasant surprise to find we could walk out our door and be there in less than 10 minutes. If you like ancient sites, this place is a hidden gem.