Croatia - Eastern Europe - page 164

Diocletian's Palace
Historians say Diocletian ( A . D . 245-316) was born in a village near Salona,
which at the time was the nerve center of the Roman government in Dal-
matia. His palace was a heavily protected enclave that included a military
installation, and its footprint covered nearly 3 hectares (10 acres) and
encompassed the emperor's apartments, several temples, and housing for
soldiers and servants.
Diocletian moved into the limestone palace in A . D . 305 after a reign of 21
years, and according to some historians, he had commissioned construction
of the palace 8 years earlier in A . D . 293. The names of architects Filotas and
Zotikos are engraved on palace foundation stones.
In the years immediately following the emperor's death in A . D . 316, the
palace was used as government office space, but it inadvertently became a
haven for refugees in the early 7th century when the Avars and Slavs
attacked and destroyed Salona, sending that city's citizens to nearby islands
and later to the security of the palace walls, which were 2m (6 ft.) thick and
nearly 30m (100 ft.) high at points.
This huge influx of refugees overcrowded the palace compound, and the
new settlement spread outside its walls. Successive rulers, including the
Byzantine emperors, the Croatian kings, the Hungarian-Croatian kings, and
the Venetians, accommodated by building structures within and outside the
complex, a practice that effectively destroyed the palace's Roman character
and left little more than the original walls and vestiges within them.
female waitresses, whose very presence makes dining friendlier for families and solo
women. Pasta entrees include noodles Matriciana, wide pasta dressed with tomatoes,
bacon, and chile and a Diocletian salad with veggies, squid, and anchovies sprinkled
among the greens. Konoba Varo s at Ban Mladenova 7 ( & 021/396-138 ) is a
local favorite, which is usually the sign of a good restaurant in Croatia. Tuck into a big
plate of lamb or veal hot from the peka (grill); or try the blue fish or octopus. Varo s
has a long and varied wine list for a simple konoba, which translates to fair bottle
prices. Adriana at Obala Hrvatskog Preporoda ( & 021/344-079 ) on the Riva
near Old Town is always crowded. Try the seafood risotto or any grilled meat or fish
dish. Live music spices up weekends—and sometimes weekdays—during the summer,
which is great for restaurant patrons but annoying if you're staying in the Adriana's
upstairs rooms.
INEXPENSIVE
Pizzeria Fortuna , at Biha c ka 2 ( & 021/487-202 ), offers pastas and salads, too.
In a town with so many pizzerias, Fortuna is one of the best. Caffe/bar Gaga , at
Iza Lo z a 5 ( & 021/342-257 ), is where to go after midnight when everything else has
closed down. By day Gaga is a popular coffee stop; by night it is a collection of out-
door tables where wall-to-wall people try to relate over throbbing disco music.