Tag: Dalmatian Coast

  • The ancient Roman quarry of Rasohe is not far from the town of Splitska, pictured here. It's on the Croatian island of Brac.

    Brač, Croatia: Hunting for Hercules in a Roman Quarry

    For nearly 2,000 years, limestone has been extracted from quarries on the Croatian island of Brač. In the 3rd century, laborers used this dazzling white stone to build the palace of Emperor Diocletian in the city of Split. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Brač limestone was used to construct the Saint James Cathedral…

  • Escaping to Marjan Hill, the ‘Lungs of Split’ Croatia

    Marjan Forest Park is often referred to as the “lungs of Split, Croatia.” The park’s pine forest exhales fresh oxygen into the nearby city — which is removed, but within walking distance. Marjan (or Marjan-Park Šuma, in Croatian) has been a popular recreation spot since at least the 3rd century. Back then, Roman Emperor Diocletian (who had…

  • A Day Trip from Split, Croatia: Hiking Mosor

    If you spend enough time in Split, eventually the surrounding mountains will start calling you to explore, and rightfully so… Two weeks into our stay in the stunning seaside town, we met up with our local friend, Srđan, eager to retreat to the rugged mountains that so dramatically frame the metropolitan area around Croatia’s second-largest city.

  • A Farewell to Trogir, Croatia

    “Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.” Henry David Thoreau Our time in Trogir, Croatia is rapidly ticking down, and we are getting sentimental about leaving this special corner of the world in which we have called home for the past seven…

  • Shades of Vertigo: Climbing the Bell Tower in Trogir, Croatia

    Sometimes, fear can get the best of you, and here in Trogir, Croatia, I must confess that it did. Whenever I explore a new city, I like getting high above it, and despite an aversion to heights, I’ve climbed some of Europe’s most iconic church towers: Notre Dame de Paris, Germany’s Ulm Cathedral, and the…

  • Sailing the Adriatic: A Day Trip from Trogir, Croatia

    As our new friend’s sailboat, Jonathan III, powered itself away from the marina, I watched as the city of Trogir faded off into the distance, blending in with the sparkling blue horizon of the Adriatic. With each second, the 2,300 year-old town looked more and more like a tiny, medieval Lego land.