I'm standing in the chamber where dragons were kept captive in Game of Thrones, and I almost believe they were real. As tour guide Toni holds up a photo of a roaring monster from the fantasy TV series, the cellars of the former Roman palace in Split seem utterly convincing as that mythical creature's lair.
The palace, now the old town district, was originally the spacious retirement pad of Roman emperor Diocletian. After the fall of the empire it became a refuge for people fleeing invading armies, then slowly transformed into the city of Split, its broad Roman thoroughfares honeycombed by medieval alleys.
The modern result is a delightful maze, dotted with restaurants and accommodation. And oozing with history, which Toni is well placed to navigate. The former teacher with a master's degree in history leads people through the winding paths of the old town, explaining its complicated back story. As our group wanders its beautiful laneways, he pieces together its historical jigsaw - from Roman times, through rule by Venice and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to today's tourist-friendly city on Croatia's Adriatic coast.
Tourism might now seem the ruler here, but locals still use the old town as a gathering place.
From the cellars, which in Roman times received supplies by sea, we ascend to the main square, where Toni shows us an artist's impression of the original colonnaded space designed to receive visitors to the ex-emperor. There's a statue of a sphinx on one wall, an Egyptian souvenir which survived purges of such pagan objects by Christians.
Further on we enter the vestibule, an atmospheric circular space open to the sky. It's filled with hauntingly beautiful music today, its perfect acoustics amplifying the voices of a group singing traditional Dalmatian songs.
"When I was a kid this was a very different place," says Toni, as we reach the balcony area with a view of the sea. As our guide tells it, Split used to be an industrial city and the old town was a dilapidated neighbourhood of working-class homes. "This area was dodgy in the '90s," he adds, a consequence of the wars following the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Today, however, it couldn't be more different; the wheel has come full circle and the old town is sparkling once again. As we make our way past Diocletian's mausoleum to the Temple of Jupiter, then through narrow alleys to the Golden Gate, Toni details each power that once ruled the city.
Tourism might now seem the ruler here, given Split's popularity with visitors, but locals still use the old town as a gathering place. "We have our own favourite cafes, hidden away where there are few tourists," he says. "We enjoy our little pleasures here."
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SNAPSHOT
What: The Walking Tour of Split with a Magister of History. Group tours start every day at 10am and 6pm.
How much: 27 euros ($45) for a two-hour tour
Explore more: dioclespot.com
