Riva Promenade

The Riva is Split's waterfront promenade — a palm-lined boulevard along the southern wall of Diocletian's Palace that is the city's daily gathering place, evening passeggiata route, and the spot where Splitčani have been drinking coffee and watching the harbour since the promenade was built in the 19th century. The Riva faces south across the harbour to the Marjan peninsula, and the afternoon sun that bathes the white stone in golden light creates the Mediterranean atmosphere that makes Split feel more Italian than Slavic.

The café culture on the Riva is Split's most important social institution — the tables that line both sides of the promenade fill from morning through late evening with an unhurried procession of coffee drinkers who treat the Riva as an office, a living room, and a stage.