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When the Roman emperor Diocletian built his palace in the Croatian town of Split in the third century AD, he surely never imagined that things would come to this. On a sunny day along the sea-facing wall of the former imperial residence, the current inhabitants can be seen hanging out their underwear on laundry lines strung between the windows of what were once the emperor’s private apartments. This state of affairs can be traced back to what might be the most pragmatic decision ever made by a people living under the yoke of empire; upon the emperor’s death in 311AD, the good folk of Split decided that the best way to preserve the palace was to move into it. Today, some two thousand people live or work within the palace precinct, its passages and walkways having evolved into the narrow streets of what is now the city’s historic centre. You can buy a pair of jeans, get your hair cut, drink a cappuccino or a cold beer – and even rent yourself a room – inside the seventeen-hundred year-old home of a real Roman emperor.

My two-day stay in Split was a promising start to a journey that would take me down the Dalmatian Coast to the city of Dubrovnik, stopping off at two of Croatia’s most popular holiday islands along the way. Choosing from among the hundreds of islands that guard the coast was not easy, although in the end my decision was largely dictated by ferry schedules, which thin out once the main tourist season (June-September) has ended.

First stop was the island of Hvar, an hour from Split by ferry. The main town has a striking piazza hemmed in on three sides by handsome examples of Venetian architecture (courtesy of four centuries’ rule by the Republic of Venice). It’s said that if you visit Hvar any time during August you could be forgiven for thinking the place still belongs to the Italians, as they invade in their thousands to sunbathe, swim, strut and preen. While parading around in a teensy swimsuit or pair of spray-on jeans is undoubtedly the main game at the height of summer, Hvar remains lively if less showy until at least early October, when room rates also drop by as much as thirty percent.

I found the ideal accommodation to be an apartment with kitchen and balcony, as this allows you to make good use of the local produce such as seafood, olive oil and Hvar wines, while enjoying your own sea view. Besides the various restaurants, bars and gelaterie (another Italian legacy to be grateful for), Hvar offers superb swimming in protected coves, bays and inlets, in the clearest waters I have seen anywhere.

My plans had originally included a short boat trip or two from Hvar, but these were scuppered by two days of unexpected damp weather. My hosts assured me, however, that the finest beaches in Croatia are to be found on the nearby islands of Brac and Vis. This is certainly not news to the international yachting set, judging by the numbers of sleek expensive-looking sailboats shuttling between Brac and Vis before lining up for a berth in Hvar harbour.

Three or four hours further south by ferry, the island of Korcula has a different character again. Less obviously sexy than Hvar, Korcula’s eponymous port town still offers distractions to hold your attention for two or three days at least, with an historic walled town that’s well endowed with restaurants serving Italian dishes, seafood, and the ubiquitous Dalmatian speciality, octopus salad. Having strolled every street of the old town (and eaten close to my bodyweight in tasty tentacled molluscs), I decided to walk the five miles to the village of Lumbarda, which has a succession of protected yacht moorings and a skerrick of sandy beach. Along the way I passed rows of grape vines, heavy with fruit sweetening in the sun. Croatia’s wine industry is still making the transition from government control to competitive private enterprise, and many of its best wines are now being produced on Korcula.

For anyone who’s a softie for furry animals, it’s worth noting that Dalmatia is serious pussycat territory. After four days on Korcula, I’d become attached enough to a pair of kittens that I was starting to contemplate the practicalities of pocketing one to take home. Just in time, the good ship Marko Polo (the famous explorer was born and raised on Korcula) hove into view, and an hour later I checked in to my cabin for the four-hour cruise to Dubrovnik, celebrated jewel of the Adriatic.

This famous walled city has more than a touch of Venice about it, thanks to its arresting architecture and the feeling of being assailed on all sides by the sea. As in Venice, the overwhelming impression is of finding oneself in the middle of an elaborate movie set – an impression reinforced by the fact that, on any given day, tourists far outnumber the five thousand people who reside inside the walls.

It’s impossible to look at Dubrovnik today without considering the damage inflicted upon it during the Balkans war. The city was infamously shelled by Serb forces for three months in 1991, leaving eighty percent of the buildings damaged. Most of the re-building has been completed, using local limestone to preserve the city’s historic appearance. From ground level the damage is barely noticeable, but a circumnavigation of the walls leaves no doubt as to the pounding Dubrovnik endured, with the elevated view revealing hundreds of new red tile roofs.

Croatia’s Dalmatian coast is enjoying a boom in visitor numbers as well as the dubious honour of having become the latest darling of the jet-set and beautiful people. Barely sixteen years since Croatia emerged as an independent country, its people already exhibit an impressive confidence that’s due in no small part to pride in this glorious coastline. And it’s a fair bet they can do without the endorsement of any more heiresses and Hollywood stars, since they can rightly claim that a Roman emperor liked the place so much, he made it his home.

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