Those clever Romans

The lowest level of Diocletian's original Roman palace is very well-preserved, largely due to the fact that over the centuries people threw their rubbish into it! It has been carefully excavated in parts so that the original brickwork with its soaring vaults and arches can be explored and wondered at. I thought it was really stunning. You can easily join a guided tour through these areas and venture into the various temples and the Cathedral, which was originally Diocletian's mausoleum and is now a glorious mixture of orthodox Catholicism and Roman splendour.

The Palace was built of locally made bricks, white limestone and marble from the nearby island of Brac. It was also decorated with items plundered from other historic sites, such as 3500 year old sphinxes from Egypt, of which just three have survived.