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When the Roman Emperor Diocletian retired in 305 AD, he built himself a palace on the Dalmatian coast. Unlike most Roman structures, this one never fell entirely into ruin. People moved in during the medieval period, then more people, then entire neighborhoods, until today some eight thousand residents live inside the palace walls, their laundry strung between Corinthian columns and their doors opening onto Roman peristyles that have been in continuous use for seventeen centuries.

The Cathedral of Saint Domnius, one of the oldest in the world, occupies what was once Diocletian's mausoleum, a conversion that would have appalled the emperor who actively persecuted Christians.

The Riva promenade runs along the seafront outside the palace, lined with palms and cafe chairs that characterize Dalmatian town life, and the Pazar market behind the palace walls supplies the city with local produce every morning. From Split's ferry terminal, boats fan out to the islands of Brac, Hvar, and Vis, making the city the main gateway to the central Dalmatian islands.