Sebenico

"A steamer from Zara to Šibenik takes about four hours winding its way between the islands and the mainland, finally entering the land-locked harbour through an opening so narrow that it is easy to understand why that port was so beloved by pirates. If the steamer does not run, there is quite a good motoring road (thanks to Marmont), but it is well to see that both the chauffeur and the car have their proper papers, as an Italian and a Yugoslav frontier post have to be passed, and both mean a certain delay, so the run takes about four hours. The road keeps to the low land until it passes through Scardona, the car creeps cautiously across a pontoon bridge over the Krk, built by the Italians during the late war, after which the road makes long loops over a spur of the mountains and then drops down to Šibenik.

The town climbs up the side of a steep hill on the top of which stands the castle of S. Anna, still imposing in its ruins. Another fort commanded the entrance to the harbour, and two more crown the heights at the back of the town. No wonder that Sir George Wheeler described it as the strongest place in Dalmatia. Unlike most of the other towns on the coast, Sebenico had no Roman predecessor; it was apparently founded by refugees from the interior, who took naturally and happily to piracy. […]. The narrow streets which scramble up the side of the hill are full of doorways and windows which might adorn any little canal in its former mistress, and the great houses which tower along the water's edge were built by men who remembered Venice. The great glory of Šibenik is the cathedral, which is not only unique in Dalmatia, but in the world. It is the largest church in the world which is built entirely of stone, but it is not only curious, it is beautiful. It stands on a little platform over the harbour, and if near buildings hide the east end and the south side, the west end and the north side have piazzas in front of them. […]. To say that a cathedral is built "all of stone" suggests immense weight and haviness, but nothing could be more unlike the impression produced by Orsini's church. It is light and beautiful and daring, the splendid lantern is practically all windows, and yet it supports a magnificent cupola (pp. 56-58).

Opposite the north door of the church stands the beautiful little loggia which was built in 1552 as the court of the Venetian Governor, and now serves as the Italian Consulate. In one of the narrow paved streets leading up the hill from the Piazza dell'Erbe is the little Church of S. Giovanni with a curious external stone staircase. The modern road sweeps round the back of the town outside the walls, and also serves as a market-place. The country people sail in with their produce and land at the quays below the cathedral. The crews of the heavy boats seem to consist chiefly of women in voluminous petticoats down to their ankles, with bright aprons and handkerchiefs on their heads. The men mostly wear dark, wide knickerbockers and short coats with coloured sashes and enchanting little round scarlet caps with black embroidery and long black tassels.

There is apparently no way into the ruined castle on the top of the hill, which looks as if it had been used as a convenient quarry, but from the grassy slope below its walls there is a splendid view of the little harbour, the winding channel and the many islands. No wonder the pirates regarded it as an excellent coign of vantage from which to watch for the rich merchant ships creeping up to Venice (pp. 59-60)".