Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The distinctively shaped doors—with shop windows built right in, to provide maximum
view of goods, but minimum access—indicate that this was the terrain of the mer-
chants...and it still is.
The austerity of Dubrovnik's main drag disappoints some visitors. Rather than lavish
funds on ostentatious palaces, as in Venice, Dubrovnik seems eager to downplay its wealth.
For much of its history, Dubrovnik paid a hefty tribute to the sultan of the Ottoman
Empiretomaintainitsindependentstatus.FlauntingwealthwouldhaveraisedOttomaneye-
brows...and, likely, Ottoman taxes. Unlike its rival Venice, which then as now is desper-
ate to impress, Dubrovnik embodies a restraint that reflects the tumultuous time and place
in which it thrived. Venice was surrounded by Italians, Austrians, Germans—some allies,
