|
almatia - composed by the four southernmost areas of the croatian coastal band - is for many reasons, the most eminently touristic part of the country. In the years 1930, its indented coasts had already acquired a true notoriety, thanks to the stays of abdicator king Edouard VII and Wallis Simpson. As often, speeking of mythical destinations, those present many assets, combined in harmony.
More than anywere else in Croatia, it is on this narrow Dalmatian strip of land where civilizations crossed through the centuries, and whose richnesses were preserved on such a small perimeter. Indeed, one just has to traverse a few miles only to admire the testimonys left by the various cultural currents: monuments of Roman Antiquity, relics of the first Byzantine time, vestiges of the pre-romanesque time, then Romanesque, Gothic traces and multiple constructions of the Renaissance. This famous Dalmatian coast is particular to the extend that some littorals are said "of Dalmatian type". Islands as far as the eye can see, small or large, with reefs or cliffs, wooded or karstic, populated or not, sheltering historic buildings or national parks, surrounded by an extraordinary limpid sea which is the best preserved and most diversified in the Mediterranean ecosystems.
For a faithful outline of this coastal Dalmatia, nothing such as following a route connecting its four major cities, from north to south:
Zadar, Sibenik, Split and Dubrovnik.
The town of Zadar impresses initially by its old part (today's downtown) located on the peninsula. This peninsula contains a lot of vestiges of the respective cultures, from the Roman time to the Italian influence. The archipelago of Kornati, which faces the city, is the occasion for a first maritime excursion. It gathers 150 islands on 185 sq. miles only, which are anthems to the beauty of nature. These islands constitute a national park, the flora and underwater fauna are exceptionally rich with more than 300 animal species and 350 vegetable species. Especially Mir, a small lake on Dugi Otok, is a must see!
Back on dry land and right before reaching Sibenik, flows the Krka, a splendid river classified natural reserve. It digs its bed in a karstic landscape, succession of deep gorges, lakes and cascades. Halfway, the Krka widens on 8 miles to form a lake, the Visovacko, in the center of which floats the small green island of Visovac. The Isle shelters a franciscain convent going back to 1445. Passed the mouth of the river, there is Sibenik, medieval city built by the Croatian princes in the 10th and 11th centuries and having the most impressive fortifications of Dalmatia. Like the other large Dalmatian cities, it is admirable for its historic buildings and its palaces. Its Saint Jacques cathedral is registered on the List of the world inheritance of UNESCO.
Continuing south, towards Split, another tourist attraction is offered to the visitors with the peninsula of Primosten, small typical fishermen village; then another must see: the medieval city of Trogir, UNESCO protected site because of its many cultural monuments and its medieval architectural center. While leaving Trogir, the coastal road crosses the seven strengthened villages of the "Castles bay". Then it is the arrival in Split, regional capital and second biggest town of Croatia (200 000 hab.), founded by the Roman emperor Diocletian who had his palace build on the seashore, far away from the intrigues of Salona, the ancient Dalmatian capital of the Roman time (Solin, which vestiges are nowadays visited). This palace is now an open sky museum of 25 200 sq. yards (!) where the passers by, the residents and the tourists saunter in these enclosures that accumulated the marks of the crossed epochs. Still today, in each recess of the old palace, the discoveries are not tared. And UNESCO did not fail to organize its protection.
Opposite Split, two islands undoubtedly are worth the detour: Brac, famous for its white stone quarries. They had been used for the construction of the Diocletian Palace , but also, much more recently, for the White House in Washington. "Zlatni rat", its pebble beach (near Bol) makes the bathers happy. Southward and gone past the island of Hvar, we make a stop in Korcula, of which Marco Polo is native and masterpiece of the civilizations amalgamation in Mediterranean with Greek, Roman, Illyrian, Croatian and Venetian presence.
" Those who seek the paradise on earth shall come to Dubrovnik ",
Bernard Shaw.
Back on terra firma and still going southward, it is Makarska, balneal city which gave its name to the entire 125 miles long riviera, connecting Split to Dubrovnik, made of a succession of creeks, beaches and picturesque villages. Then, on the south point, there is Dubrovnik; fotified city built in the 13th century, with its ramparts and its high towers, aggregation of Gothic and Renaissance art. The old Republic, independent during five centuries until its dissolution by Napoleon, preserved so much masterpieces of his glorious past that the site appears quite naturally in the world cultural inheritance. The repairs make now good progress after the destruction of many roofs at the time of independence war bombardments. Today's Dubrovnik gets its original glare back, day after day, withstanding the comparison with Venice or Valetta, and which only for itself worth the trip to Croatia.
And opposite, there is another archipelago, Elaphites, 14 plots of land covered with luxuriante vegetation, whose only historical inheritance can compete with its beauty...
B.K. - © 2004
|
