Croatia: Split and Dubrovnik 2023

SPLIT is one of Croatia’s oldest cities—over 1,700 years old, overlooking a bay that opens on the Adriatic Sea. The city is constructed around the ancient Roman Palace of Emperor Diocletian.

Our Viking excursion—“Highlights of the Split Riviera”—began with a drive to the coastal town of TROGIR, a UNESCO World Heritage Site perched on an island.

Trogir Loggia and Clock Tower (15th century)

The second part of our excursion was a walking tour of SPLIT, where, by the way, “Game of Thrones was partly filmed.

Diocletian’s Palace (end of the 3rd century AD)

Our Viking excursion—“Flavors & Traditions of Old Croatia”—began with a walking tour of the Old Town of DUBROVNIK, which George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright, called “heaven on earth.” During the Middle Ages, Dubrovnik was a center of wealth, literature, and trade, rivaling even Venice. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Polyptych by Lorenzo di Marino daCattaro in the Dominican Monastery

After touring the Old Town of Dubrovnik, we traveled to the village of Orasac where we toured a horse-driven olive oil mill.

Then we traveled to the hamlet of Ljuta where we saw how flour is still produced using the old water-powered stone mill at Mlinica Dvori.

Our last stop was at the Novakovic home in the village of Cilipi where we sampled their homemade wine with prosciutto, and listened to local musicians play Dalmatian music.