SUNDAY
10am: Visit an artist’s villa
On the southside of the Marjan Peninsula, a 20-minute walk west of Split’s center, the Mestrovic Gallery (the 12 euros ticket includes entry to the seaside chapel across the street) is in a palatial home built by the sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, perhaps Croatia’s most famous artist.
Mestrovic, who grew up poor in Dalmatia’s hardscrabble hinterland and died in 1962, completed construction of the villa in 1939, but World War II cut short his time on the property, which was intended to be his summer house and studio. Today, the sprawling rooms are filled with blueprints, letters and many of the prolific creator’s finest pieces:paintings and the instantly recognizable, elongated lines of his wood, bronze and marble sculptures, which were lauded by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin.
Noon: Break for brunch
Dalmatians aren’t breakfast people. After a morning’s work (starting early to beat the heat), families traditionally gathered for a brunch-type meal called marenda. Dujkin Dvor, a konoba (tavern) with a patio facing Matejuska, the fishermen’s harbor, at the edge of the Varos neighborhood, serves classic, often stewlike marenda dishes.
Refuel with brujet, a rich soup made with cod, olive oil, onions, garlic, wine and tomatoes, and served with polenta (20 euros). Then, walk off your brunch with a climb up the nearby staircase to the Marjan Peninsula’s 300-hectare, protected Forest Park, known as the “lungs of the city.” At the top of the stairs, gaze west to the Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the islands of Ciovo and Solta.
2pm: Turn the key
For a big-picture perspective of Split’s history and evolution, take local bus 22 (3 euros) eight miles inland to the Klis Fortress (tickets, 10 euros), wedged in a gorge between the Kozjak and Mosor Mountains framing Split’s vulnerable backside.
The fortress was built and rebuilt for more than 2,000 years, as control for this strategic position and “key to Dalmatia” was held by Illyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, Venetians and Croatians. On the way back, stop at the archaeological site of Salona (8 euros), once among the Roman Empire’s most populous cities dating to the third century B.C. You can stroll the 9 hectares between sarcophagi, mosaics and the amphitheater. Notice, in the distance, the 8.8-km aqueduct built for Diocletian’s Palace that still supplies Split with water.
By Alex Crevar © The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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