Here’s why Split is the ultimate city break destination

It’s not often you come across the retirement home of an ancient Roman emperor in the centre of a major city – and not just the centre, but in its very heart. Walk along Split’s palm-lined Riva waterfront past its café terraces and you’ll see the walls of the vast Diocletian’s Palace that was built at the end of the 3rd Century for the Roman emperor to spend his twilight years. Diocletian’s Palace was built for the Roman emporer in the 3rd Century The palace’s ruins blend beautifully into the modern life of Croatia’s second city – so much so that, even after numerous visits to this Unesco-listed port in Central Dalmatia, I’m still finding new things. Split’s very own sphinx was a decorative touch brought over by Diocletian from ancient Egypt “There’s another sphinx in the Peristyle,” he tells me, and leads me out of the cellars and into the grand colonnaded courtyard of the Peristyle where, sure enough, a large sphinx sits languidly under an arch. The beautiful Mestrovic Gallery displays the works of Croatia’s greatest sculptor, Ivan Meštrovi Here you’ll find three ingredients that make Split such an appealing place for a city break.