Croatia 3 - Split 3

Day 3 began with a disaster. It was so difficult to find a place in or near the Old Town that met J's standards, offering a hot meal (or even a plain croissant) as well as a comfortable table (not a bench in a crowded tiny cafe, for example) before 8 am. Not only it was in the early morning but also it was in the off-season; many shops were closed and our choices were already limited. In the end we had a seat in Stow, a local coffee shop. They didn't have any savory sandwiches or even a plain croissant. Sorry J! He only had a cup of cappuccino. They offered some sweet pastries instead. I tried a pistachio croissant cube and tea. The croissant looked fancy but tasted just ok. 

Anyway, the quick and simple breakfast let us make an early start to explore the Marjan Peninsula. It's a forested hill park located on the western edge of Split. To get the Split Viewpoint, also known as Belvedere, we climbed up a long staircase.

Honestly the view from the Split Viewpoint wasn't the best because of the trees in the foreground. It was just a starting point to discover the Marjan Peninsula. We followed a hiking trail that cut almost straight through the peninsula.  

We passed by an early 13th century church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and travelers.

I don't know how long we walked but eventually we found Vidikovac, a modern observation tower with a free elevator that offers panoramic views of the peninsula, the Adriatic Sea, and surrounding islands. I was glad that we decided to stop by the tower!

After taking dozens of photos, we said a good-bye to Vidikovac and continued following a trail toward the west tip of the peninsula.

Just below the observation tower was Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem, which was likely built before 1500, at a time when hermit life was thriving on Marjan.

Shortly we found a designated trail to the Church of St. Jerome, the patron saint of Dalmatia, librarians, translators, and scholars. The view was stunning, like a scene from a fairy tale.

The little church was tucked under cliffs next to the little gate and had an intimate courtyard. According to the year the great Albanian Dalmatian sculptor Andrija Aleši built and signed the alter, the church was supposed to be completed by 1480.

A 15th century hermitage cave still remains in the rock adjacent to the church. The cave life doesn't sound comfortable but the ocean view from there was marvelous. 

We reached the west tip of the peninsula and then followed the north trail... 

Eventually we found a gate to get out of the huge park. We must have walked almost three hours! Then, we took an Uber to the next place to walk around - the Archaeological Site of Salona! Salona (the modern town of Solin, a suburb of Split) was the ancient capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, known as the birthplace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The ruins of the ancient Roman city of Salona spread across a vast open field, which requires a lot of walk. Yes, we walked a lot, but not more than what we did on the Marjan Hill. The first ruins we visited was the basilica and cemetery of Manastirine, a former Roman pagan necropolis and an early Christian burial site.

We walked down to the Episcopal Center, including double basilicas, a baptistery and the bishop's palace...

 then, passing by parts of the city walls and an insure (urban residential district).

Eventually we reached the early Christian basilica of five martyrs.

The last but not the least ruins we visited was the 2nd century Amphitheater with a seating capacity of approximately 17,000 spectators who could watch gladiator battles and animal fights in the arena. 

It was time to go back to Split for lunch (or brunch for J). We took an Uber to Sette Sorelle, a pizzeria near the seafood restaurant we visited a day before. We got a table on the roof-top terrace. 

We chose Elettra (tomato sauce San Marzano, mozzarella fior di latte, prociutto cotto, button mushrooms, and oregano), from their seven versions of Neapolitan-style pizzas. The pizza was fantastic! Both of the super thin crust and the toppings were perfect in any ways for my taste. J loved it too!

The pizzeria was close to the waterfront. We strolled there every day during our stay in Split.

We stopped by Ela's Gelateria Artigianale, known for its traditional Italian gelato made from top-quality ingredients. Funny, I don't remember what flavor I got. J had two flavors. What were they? 

We had thought that we walked all the streets in the Old Town by then, However, we found a new street that led us Triklinij (Triclinium), the ruins of the ancient Roman emperor's grand, octagonal dining hall. Perhaps we had completed the exploration of the Old Town finally.

It sounded lovely to relax with tea and something sweet to wrap up the long day. Oš Kolač was a cute local pastry shop, located right outside of the Old Town. 

Their cakes looked lovely. Especially, Adriatico (lavender, rosemary and olive oil cake with white chocolate, lemon and honey liquor) looked attractive to me. J got two pieces of Galetin (gluten free and vegan soft almond cookies) and kindly gave one to me. Another joyful day came to an end. 

To be continued...