We came along the most arid country, all stones, but lots of vines were growing apparently out of the stones, as I could see hardly any soil about them; in some parts there was more soil, and on the hillsides patches of earth for vineyards. The railway winds in and out of the hills which are grey, and the only bit of colour to be seen was in the costumes of the peasants, which was an agreeable relief from the great monotony of stone. Men and women were very busy digging and attending to the vines. We passed Traù and Salona at some distance, at the latter are many Roman remains, which are beautifully situated over the bay. Salona was once the capital of Roman Dalmatia and had a naval harbour, its massive walls were washed by the sea in those days, but now it has receded far from the ruins. In the Roman Civil War, Salona adhered to Cæsar, and was besieged by Octavius, Pompey’s general. Much excavation is still going on, and the chief relics are removed to the Museum at Spalato. Diocletian had a beautiful palace overlooking this bay, which covered nine and a half acres in extent. Diocletian was born near Ragusa.
This little railway ends at Spalato, where we once more joined the yacht.
Spalato is picturesquely encircled by lofty hills and lies in a fertile region on a peninsula.
The town owes its name to a great palace (palatium) of Diocletian, within the precincts of which a great part of the old town is built. The palace formed a little world of its own, with temples, baths, &c., of which the principal remains are more or less built over, as for instance the Cathedral piazza, once the peristyle, has twelve Corinthian columns, some of which are built into the houses, while the south end is occupied by an imposing vestibule with four columns of red granite. This vestibule once led to the private state apartments and from it opens a Rotunda.
The Cathedral, a fine edifice, enclosed by a dilapidated colonnade (originally the Mausoleum of Diocletian) is now dedicated to the Virgin and St. Diomo. In the interior are eight columns, twenty-three feet high, bearing an ambulatory, on which stand eight columns which were once crowned by statues. Between these columns at the top is a frieze with hunting scenes, portraits, and various other figures. The pulpit and choir-stalls are also Romanesque: the columns of the former with their capitols are very fine. The Baptistery was supposed to have been the private temple of Diocletian, dedicated to Jupiter.
The Porta Aurea is on the north and is the palace gate facing the land. This gate is most imposing and impressive, no doubt because it has not been mixed up with modern buildings, so you get a clear view of it.
Happily for me while at Spalato something went wrong with the yacht’s boiler, this much refreshed me by its kindness, and I decided to take a little jaunt of my own to Traù, a town we had passed on our way, so to Traù I went, accompanied by the old courier Angelos. We chartered a carriage and drove to this dear little place with a lovely old Venetian Cathedral. At Spalato we had a thunderstorm, and the weather still looked threatening, so after seeing the sights of Traù, I settled down to work on the old Venetian gate of the town. I had only time to draw it that evening and hoped to return next day, as we had to stay the night at Traù, but alas! it rained hard all night, and I was wondering if I should rise at day-break or not, when I suddenly remembered the door and covered-in porch of the Cathedral. To this I started off in a downpour, but found I could sit comfortably inside the porch, and there old Angelos found me in due course, hard at work, and there I sat till lunch time.
The Cathedral Porch, Traù.