Sometimes, you have the rare occasion to sleep somewhere incredible. Platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo have opened a whole new set of locations. Like the Cube House I stayed in back in 2016, the barrel hut on an Icelandic farm, or this incredible one room cabin overlooking a glacier fed lake in Norway.
After arriving at our Airbnb in Split, I realized we stumbled on another once in a lifetime opportunity. This tiny room atop a very old, very quaint building in the middle of what was once Diocletian’s Palace, was made to enjoy city views.
The Saint Domnius Bell Tower loomed over the rooftop terrace, reminding all who visited of the ancient bedrocks of the city. The tower, consecrated in the 7th century, was built atop Diocletian’s Imperial Roman mausoleum.
Enormous sliding glass doors made up the seaward facing wall of our little bedroom, making it the perfect place to enjoy the sights, rain or shine.
Speaking of great views, walking up the tiny, winding staircase of the tower will afford you the best outlook a few kunas can buy. You can take in the Mountains of Mosor that hedge the buildings tops with bright orange tiles. Or you can even see an overhead view of our Airbnb.
The Peristyle of Diocletian’s Palace
This is precisely where Diocletian’s Palace once stood. In truth, it was more of a fortress and less of a palace. Old renderings of what this military garrison most likely looked like are rather beautiful.
Split is Croatia’s second largest city.
The photos above and below are from inside the Cathedral of Saint Domnius.
The church is in three parts: the bell tower, the mausoleum, and the cathedral.
Beneath Diocletian’s Palace, there is an extensive series of substructures, dating back to the Roman empire. They are incredibly well preserved. In 1979 the palace was added to the UNESCO’S World Heritage list because of it.
The city has many tiny alleyways, with beautiful twists and turns.
Don’t forget, Split is a shining city on the Adriatic Sea.
Croatia is so fruitful, even pomegranates grow wild.
Split has changed hands many times throughout the centuries. It went from being a major Byzantine city, to Venetian, then Croatian until Hungary-Croatia took over. Venice then reclaimed the land again until the Austrians came along. Fairly soon after, it was snatched up by Yugoslavia. It wasn’t until 1992 that Croatia gained its freedom once again.
Walkable cities are my favorite cities–and Split is just that. There aren’t any cars in Old Town.
buildings along The Riva, the waterfront promenade
The next few photos were shot from the balcony of the Airbnb at sunset.
and Split is just as magical by night
Statue of bishop Gregory of Nin, in the Giardin Park
Stay tuned, you won’t want to miss sunrise from one of the best spots in the city.
for the love of nike 
Beautiful!
thank you John!
Such stunning captures and a lot of colours there Jenny, can’t deny the architecture and the captures post dusk also look great! You sure had a good time at Split.
Split is filled with incredible architecture.