Zadar

Brief visit to an old Liburnian settlement called Jadera and now Zadar whose boast is that having been settled in 9 BCE it is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Croatia. Unfortunately, the Allies bombed 75% of it flat during WWI but it has now been pieced back together and makes for a pleasant place to walk around.
Unlike most of the places around here, the town managed to avoid being sacked during the Avar and Slavic invasions of Dalmatia (5–6 CE) and later Turkish attempts to incorporate it. It could not resist commercialisation though, being sold to the Venetians in 1409. The French breifly got their hands on it (1808 - 1813); otherwise from 1797 to 1920 it was Austrian followed by Italian and Yugoslavian.
Brochures explain that there are 34 churches to see. I didn't.
Instead I was captivated by the locals strolling about in traditional Croatian clothing. Actually, it seemed to be a competition between various folk clubs who danced, sang and chanted field songs on a stage in one of the squares. Mostly adolescents following an elderly leader.Leggi altro