In Split, the second largest city in Croatia, you can go on a pleasant gastronomic tour, strolling with a local guide through the streets of the center of the capital of the Split-Dalmatia region. The tour, one kilometer and two hundred meters long, lasts approximately 4 hours, starts every day at 17:00 (to be booked online, for a minimum of two people and a maximum of twelve) and includes the following items:
- a walk focused on food and local history;
- a licensed tour guide who speaks Croatian or English;
- a visit to 6 unique food places;
- more than 15 tastings;
- waterfall;
- shot of Rakija (local liqueur);
- exclusive paper guide of the city;
- photos.
To reach the most important city in Dalmatia, the Ancona – Split ferries are certainly very convenient, with journey times ranging between nine and eleven and a half hours.
The Food Tour in Split
The Food Tour route winds its way through the charming cobblestone streets, in the footsteps of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and leads to the incredible monuments located in the 1700-year-old complex of the Roman emperor designated in 1979 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Reservation is required at the web address splitfoodtour.com; it is also possible to book for one person only, but if the minimum number of two participants is not reached, alternative available dates or a refund will be offered. The cost of the tour is €99 per person.
Diocletian’s Palace
Diocletian’s Palace, with its walls, represents the historic center of Split and it is an imposing fortified villa overlooking the port. The emperor had it built ten years after his election and retired to private life. The plan of the fortified complex is structured, on the model of the Roman military camps, on two perpendicular streets. The walls are dotted with towers and also have four towers at the corners and as many gates.
What to see in the Palace
In the southern half of the architectural work we find the emperor’s apartment and the buildings dedicated to official and religious ceremonies, while in the northern part there are the buildings where soldiers and servants stayed. Among the most important things to see inside the walls we find the following structures:
- the Cathedral of San Doimo;
- the Golden Gate;
- the Silver Gate;
- the Iron Gate;
- the Aenea Gate;
- the Vestibule;
- the Temple of Jupiter;
- the Peristyle;
- the Underground.
Gastronomic itinerary
You can feast in 6 refreshment points (both refined restaurants and taverns), always accompanied by a tour guide, and in groups of a few people. At the end of the experience, a paper guide of the main city of Dalmatia is also offered as a gift.
During the tour, photographs are taken of the participants and sent to them free of charge.
The tastings
Here are the 15 tastings in detail (they may vary according to seasonality and availability):
- Charcuterie platter (Dalmatian ham, bacon, cheese, olives and a selection of salted preserves served with homemade bread and olive oil).
- Seafood, black risotto made with local Adriatic cuttlefish and cuttlefish ink served with local bread and olive oil.
- Carne (pasticada – Dalmatian roast beef dish – with homemade dumplings served with peka bread and a shot of rakija, the local liqueur).
- Truffles (a selection of delicious truffle products).
- Post dinner snack (burek – famous Balkan snack consisting of a thin flaky pastry and a variety of fillings to choose from).
- Ice cream or sorbet.
The itinerary divided into six stages lasts a total of 4 hours, starting at 17:00. The groups that are formed include a minimum of two and a maximum of twelve people. The tour starts and ends on Split’s Riva, the city’s famous waterfront, just a few steps away from the port.
