Of all the Croatian words you might hear on a visit to Split, keep an ear out for this one: ‘gušt’ (pronounced ‘goosht’). A watchword for a way of life, in the same way the Danes have their ‘hygge’, gušt translates to ‘pleasure and enjoyment’. And you’ll find plenty of both in this charming, historic city, which sits on the eastern shores of the Adriatic, and has undergone centuries of transformation, thanks to its succession of rulers. Under the Greeks, then the Romans, the Venetians, the Byzantines, the French, and the Austro-Hungarians, Split has soaked up dozens of different architectural styles and cultural influences. But it remains, today, a jewel of a place, where you can wander around edifices which are over 1,700 years old, learn more about its fascinating past – and present – in museums and galleries, get a taste of the delicious local gastronomy, and sunbathe on beautiful beaches.
