Split

Split grew around the remains of the palace built for the Roman emperor Diocletian on the Dalmatian coast. The ancient enclosure became part of a living medieval town, with houses, churches, and streets adapting its monumental fabric to changing needs. Its harbor connected the Adriatic with routes into the Balkan interior. The town's cathedral, established within the former imperial mausoleum, embodied the transformation of Roman architecture into a center of Christian urban life.

Venice took control of Split in 1420, and Ottoman expansion later brought a contested frontier close to the city. Trade nevertheless connected the two sides. The merchant Daniel Rodriga promoted a new commercial route through Split, and a customs and quarantine establishment opened in 1592. Its lazaretto received merchants and goods from the Ottoman hinterland while guarding against epidemic disease, linking inland caravans with Venetian shipping.