INTERESTING SIDE OF CULTURE AND HISTORY

From time to time, we all get fed up with everyday life and the desire for change awakens in us. Someone in that situation changes their hairstyle, and someone most often quenches their thirst for change by travelling. If like me, you choose to travel, I’m sure you do a little research before going to your chosen destination.

During that search and research, we will come across places, events or people from history with interesting stories that will arouse our curiosity. I believe that we do not dig out all of the interesting things because they have not been popularized so far and have remained hidden deep on the Internet.

Thanks to the Internet and the age in which we live, the age of computers and developed information and communication technologies, we have a phenomenal possibility of lightning-fast access to all possible data, whether it is in letter or image form. But the internet, or technology, will never be able to provide that sense of satisfaction that permeates us when we visit a LIVE location that has attracted us to the screens of our computers and cell phones.

Regardless of our personal preferences, whether we choose a place to visit because of the natural environment, beaches, food and drink, culture or history, we will certainly visit the sights of the chosen destination that we heard about, when we were already there. For example, the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian in Split, the pirate fortress in Omis or the skywalk in Makarska. Curious, we will read the information related to the place of visit and most likely forget it soon. We will also take a selfie, announce to the whole planet via social networks that we have been there and sail further towards the horizon and some other location…

BUT NO, NO, NO… NO MORE. At least not in Central Dalmatia.

Despite the fact that live-visiting of places from read stories provides a feeling of satisfaction, the question is, why stop at just that feeling? Why not become curious and find out the hooded details emerging from the depths of the vast ocean of information? Why not shudder at the story of the people and places we stand?

DISCOVER REVIVED STORIES AND MEET INTERESTING CHARACTERS FROM PAST

We are not the first, nor the last with the problems of existence or the search for meaning in life. Even before us, people had loved, hurt, fought, feared, built, created, fell and rose. We learn from them, let them inspire us. That way their existence and lives will not be forgotten, in vain.

From now on, written words and pictures will be able to be experienced in the full sense of the word on tours related to completely new and old stories told from another angle, thanks to storytellers, lovers of their region, its history and heritage.

Let’s not travel like a sack of potatoes whose only goal is to chirp in the sun and come home like french fries. Let’s breathe life into our travels.

On the way to Trogir, you can always take an hour to stop in KAŠTELA and learn more about the ROOTS OF DALMATIA or the love story of MILJENKO AND DOBRILA, in my opinion much more interesting than Romeo and Juliet. No Shakespeare can invent what real life can create, right? TROGIR is waiting to tell stories and legends like the one about HAPPY MOMENT. The city of SPLIT is a source of various topics about LOVE, WAR, LITERATURE, FILM, ARCHITECTURE, RELIGION, HISTORY, ENOLOGY and even MENTALITY. One of the youngest cities in Croatia, SOLIN preserves the stories of the KINGDOM OF CROATIA. The charming fairy of Biokovo reveals the secrets of the mighty mountain and the city below it, MAKARSKA. In OMIŠ, I talk about the legendary OMIŠ PIRATES in a completely different way, while ZAGVOZD and DUGOPOLJE tell interesting stories of the Dalmatian hinterland. The islands of the Split waters, VIS, BRAČ and HVAR, also have their narrators who introduce us to the MYTHICAL BEING, CAKE FROM ANCIENT TIMES AND FISHING TRADITION.

Famous characters from the past come to life in the Meštrović Gallery and museums and historical locations in SINJ, TRILJ, GATA, KAŠTELA, KLIS, TROGIR, ISLAND OF HVAR and SPLIT thanks to costumed guides.

FIND OUT HOW INTERESTING HERITAGE CAN BE

These are not classic city tours during which sometimes there is simply no time to devote to specific topics more. These are completely NEW TOURIST PRODUCTS that not only enrich the tourist offer, but they also raise its quality and the awareness of the richness of our heritage.

For the idea and realization of the project DALMATIA STORYTELLING DESTINATION and the specialization of local guides in heritage interpreters, we can thank RENATA TEŠIJA from the Administrative department of Tourism and Maritime affairs of the Split-Dalmatia County.

Before listing all the heritage interpreters by location, I would just like to briefly tell the travel agencies in CENTRAL DALMATIA the creators of cultural and tourist products that they now finally have specialized guides for just that. Many of us, cultural agents related to cultural tourism, recognized potentials, got ideas, designed tours, and then got stuck on the lack of specialized travel guides. I hope this is the beginning of an awareness that new guides should not be stamped to such an extent, especially now in an era of the pandemic when even existing guides don’t have a job to do. It is necessary to invest in additional education that would train existing guides and prepare them for quality thematic tours of selective tourism.

• BRAC – SUPETAR

In search of Viver – the village of Dol, Ivana Gospodetic

• DUGOPOLJE

Forgotten roads from Split to Dugopolje, Ivan Kusić

• GATA

Mila Gojsalić, Nikolina Radmilo Pivčević (revived heritage character)

• HVAR – OLD TOWN

Greek Demetra, Jelena Mičić (revived heritage character)

Petar Hektorović and Starogrojski Paprenjok, Klaudija Gamulin

IMOTSKI

• Hasanaginica, (revived heritage character, Imotski Public College)
• KAŠTEL LUKŠIĆ

Castles and legends of Kaštela, Nataša Birčić         

Dobrila, Sandra Hrabar and Jelena Marijanović (revived character in collaboration            with the Museum of the City of Kaštela, costumed guided tour in Vitturi Castle)

• KAŠTEL ŠTAFILIĆ AND NOVI

Roots of Dalmatia, Ana Ivica Jakić

• KLIS

Uskok woman and the story of Petar Kružić, Irma Jankov (revived heritage character Kliška Tvrđava)

• MAKARSKA

Franciscans in Makarska and fairy reveals the secrets of the mountain Biokovo, Agata Ravlić

• OMIŠ

Stories and legends about Omis pirates, Senka Vlahović

• SINJ

Pavao Vučković, Branimir Romac (revived heritage character)

• SOLIN

Royal stories from Solin, Vedrana Memiš

Don Frane Bulić, Nino Švonja (revived heritage character, museum guide on the              route Split-Solin, Archaeological Museum Split)

• SPLIT

Architecture and Urbanism of Split in the 20th Century (Period of Socialist Postmodernism), Maja Ordulj – Baranović

Bira Marulić, noblewoman – 16th century, Gorana Galić (revived heritage                        character, museum guide to the Museum of the City of Split)

“Game of Thrones”, the history of Split and other locations of the series, Gorana Galić

Don Frane Bulić, Nino Švonja (revived heritage character, museum guide on the route Split – Solin, Archaeological Museum Split

World War II in Split, Ina Nikolić

The Spirit of Prisca – through the Palace, Alenka Krivić Ramić

Ivo Tartaglia and the story of Rok and Cicibela, Boško Papić and Ivan Baranović

How Robert Adam discovered his style in Split, Maja Bilić

Love stories of old Split, Sunčana Cokarić

Magda Lupis Cousin of the famous torpedo inventor, Petra Blažević (revived heritage character, museum tour of the Maritime Museum Split)

Marko Uvodić – the man from Split, Hrvoje Cokarić (revived heritage character, museum guide to the Natural History Museum Split)

Marulić’s Split, Nataša Bulić

Olga Meštrović and the story of Ivan Meštrović, Iris Marinović (revived heritage character, Meštrović Gallery)

Ruža Meštrović and the story of Ivan Meštrović, Vesna Bulić Baketić (revived heritage character, Meštrović Gallery)

The story of the Split mentality, Luisa Quien

Mayors of Split, Maja Benzon

Wines and wine culture of central Dalmatia, Dorotea Pečarić

Why I love Split, Nila Tudor

Jewish Heritage in Split, Lea Altarac

• TRILJ

Roman Augusta, Sanja Budić Leto (revived heritage character, museum tour to the Museum of the Trilj Region)

• TROGIR

A town of happy moments and other legends, Daniela Zelić

Interpretive walk through the palace of the Garagnin-Fanfogna family, Doris Čavka (revived heritage figure, museum guide in the Trogir City Museum)

• VIS – KOMIŽA

Komiža fishing and cultural heritage, Dora Čukušić

• ZAGVOZD

Untold stories of the Dalmatian hinterland, Mirjana Svaguša

For anyone who would like to experience one of these stories, you can contact the interpretation guides soon directly at www.dalmatiastorytelling.com or get in touch so I can help you with your reservation.