These were difficult times and the Delmata fought many wars between themselves. From 600 BC they targeted geographically defendable peninsulas and islands on which to settle, such as Trogir. Many interesting bronzes and treasures from this time have been recovered and can be seen in local museums all along the coast.

Arrival of the Greeks
From 500 BC Greek traders began to arrive along the Dalmatian coast and establish colonies. Dionysus of Syracuse developed the lush and strategically placed island of Vis as an administrative post. It was from here that they traded and began to expand in Dalmatia.

In 300 BC the Greeks moved to take Trogir and Split from the Delmata peoples. They colonized what is now Sari Grad in Hvar and Cavtat to the south of Dubrovnic. They traded with the Illyrians of Brac, but never took control of that fertile island.

The Illyrians adopted many of the most successful ideas from Greek culture. Many technical innovations and the Greek practices of law and religion were adopted. They became serious contenders for power to the Greeks.

The Romans
From 229 BC the Roman Army’s advance began destroying Illyrian forts and subduing Greek Colonies. By 150 BC most of Dalmatia was under the control of Rome. They built roads, aqueducts and other great infrastructure projects. The introduction of Roman weights and measures led to a significant increase in trade for the towns of Croatia.

The Romans presided over prosperous growth in Croatia until the late 4th Century. They left great architecture in their wake. The best-preserved example is the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian, who was born in Salona near Split, built in AD 295. The Palace still stands as an integral part of Old Town Split, sheltering colourful market stalls and vibrant cafes under its impressive walls.

Towards 500 AD Barbarian tribes such as the Avars began to overrun the Western Roman Empire. The city of Salona was razed to the ground and a period of decline fell over Dalmatia as the moving tribes fought for power with Byzantium.

Rise of Christianity
This era saw the rise of the Christian Church and the eventual consolidation of power in the 11th Century by the Croats over most of what is now Croatia. There are many examples of pre-Romanesque architecture in Dalmatia. The finest example is to the North, the stunning Donat Church in Zadar.

The struggle of Venice and Hungary
The following Centuries saw a struggle for power between alliances made with Hungary and Venice. This came to an end in 1409 AD when the Hungarian king, Ladislaus of Anjou, sold coastal Dalmatia to Venice for 100,000 gold ducats. The main concern was the protection of those all-important trading ports. The islands and towns were given autonomy.

Dubrovnik, the key trading port in Croatia, was an independent city-state throughout this period and continued to grow more powerful and wealthy.

The Results
This rich past has created the beautiful coastal towns of Croatia, each with spectacular views from their proud, defendable positions and thriving from strong sea trade. Croatian architecture has been greatly influenced by Roman, Austro-Hungarian and Venetian architecture. This history has made Croatia unique in its charm, and with six UNESCO World Heritage Sites to its name; such as Trogir, Split’s Palace and Dubrovnik, its history is readily available.

Croatia is blessed with the longest coastline of any European country, with 1,300 islands scattered in the crystal clear blue Adriatic. The relief of the coastline is often dramatic, soaring straight up from the sea into a stunning mountain range. Lifestyle along the Dalmatian coast naturally centres on the sea – fishing, sailing and water sports. Croatia has always been popular with sailors - there are numerous names for wind in the Croatian language!

Croatians are very proud of their stunning and un spoilt coastline. They are generally very friendly to tourists and many speak good English. Italian and German are also spoken as a second language.

The Catholic religion is an important part of their heritage; this is evident in the number of architecturally stunning churches worth visiting.

Climate
The Dalmatian climate is typical of the Mediterranean. The summers are hot and dry and the winters are mild. The average temperature in mid summer is 25oC or 72oF, with an average of 10 hours sunshine a day. June and July evenings retain the day’s heat; by September evenings are a little chilly.

Water Sports
Sailing is the number one sport in Croatia. There are many yachts available for charter from the numerous marinas – Self sail and Skipper. Sailing dinghies, small motorboats and even speedboats are also available to rent by the week or day.

Windsurfing is widespread in Croatia. Kite Surfing is also becoming popular. Brac’s famous Golden Horn beach - Zlatni Rat – just outside the town of Bol, is an excellent place to windsurf from.

Croatia is great for scuba diving. There are many underwater caves to explore and the clean crystal clear waters enable great visibility of the fish and coral. If you don’t want to go down into the deep blue then snorkeling on the surface is great too.

Water-skiing is available in the main tourist destinations - the water near some of the islands and bays is as flat as glass!

Other Sports
Tennis is one of Croatia’s most popular sports – glorified by Goran Ivanisevic’s 2001 Wimbledon win. There are clay courts available in many towns.

Currency
The national currency is Kuna’s. Prices are often quoted in Euros, especially property prices. Most restaurants and supermarkets accept credit cards and ATMs are plentiful.

Wine
Croatia’s wine producing traditions have evolved since Greek times. Several grape varieties and wines are unique to Croatia. Now there are a great variety of wines and many islands have their own specialty– an interesting list to tick off if you are island hopping!

Peljesac, a strong wine producer, is the original producer of the widespread Plavac (red) grape variety. The best wines here are Dingac and Postup. Sibenik also produces a wide range of good wines, notably the popular Sibenik Babic (red).

Some of the best wines of Brac are Bol Plavac and Bol Opolo (reds). Hvar has fine wines such as Zlatan Plavac, Drnekusa (reds) and Hvar Pelegrin (white). Korcula is proudly represented by quality white Posip and the wine to try on Viz is Vugava (white).

Prosek is the native desert wine. This was a favourite of the Romans.

Spirits
Eau-de-vie are traditional fruit based spirits, such as the grape based Loza and plum brandy Sljivovica. Pelinkovac is an herb based liqueur drunk after meals to aid digestion.

Fish
As fishing is one of the main Dalmatian industries, there are plenty of fresh fish dishes to choose from. Popular forms of preparation are charcoal grilled (na gradele), poached (na leso) or in a stew (brodet).

Common fish on Croatian menus are Mackerel, Sole (tabinja), Sea Bream and Red Scorpion fish (skarpin).

Seafood highlights include: Calamars – fried calamari, rings or whole Scampi na buzara - scampi in tomato, onion and herb gravy.

Kuhani jastog - lobster with herbs and white wine
Fish platter – fried or grilled with oil, lemon, herbs & salt - a taste of everything!

Meat
Grilled lamb and spit-roasted meats are the specialty of Dalmatia. Look out for restaurants displaying the picture!

Also popular is:
Pasticada - Baked beef in a vegetable sauce
Arambasici - Minced meat, onions and garlic in vine-leaf parcels

Desserts
Zagorje strudel - Rolls of pastry with cheese, honey and nuts Rozata - A dessert similar to crème caramel
Palacinka - Folded pancakes with chocolate, jam or crushed walnuts

Sladoled
Every evening on the seafront promenade you will see families, couples and groups of friends strolling along with multicoloured cones of sladoled – smooth, delicious ice-cream.

The facilities in Selca include:

• A beautiful church
• 2 supermarkets
• Tourist Information
• 2 Butchers
• Bakeries
• Bars
• Restaurant
• Bank (without a cash machine)
• Post office
• Internet Cafe