Tulane Master’s In Preservation Studies Students, Faculty and Friends on the Adriatic Coast Spring 2006 Semester Study Tour

Lloyd Sensat
Friday, March 07, 2008

Dear friends,

Dear tour guide friends please see # 10.

The Adriatic Coast has to be Europe's best kept secrets. Everywhere there are Roman ruins, magnificent churches, fairytale castles and intact medieval cities. The Adriatic Coast with is sparkling clear water is a dream of ancient Greece. Everyday was more "fab"than the last!. We visited four countries: Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Italy. The former Yugoslav countries (Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia) suffered greatly in their recent Homeland War (1991-95). Most of the cities we visited were UNESCO World Heritage sites which were deliberately shelled in the war. Since then everything has been restored and tourists are flocking back. It gave me hope for New Orleans, in spite of Nagin. 

My favorite things on the trip:

1-Best Roman ruin: the city of Split (Croatia) with the palace of Diocletian one with the medieval city. The awesome layer of history and architecture was like nothing I had ever seen.

2-Best walled city: Dubrovnik (Croatia) just the most intact and perfect of the walled cities.

3-Best Church (excluding any in Venice) The Cathedral of Jacob the Apostle in Sibenik (Croatia) because it its great scale yet sensitivity to details, and its completeness and wholeness of design.  

4-Best Castle: Bled Castle (Slovenia) a picturesque little fairytale castle on a hilltop with a magnificent view.

5-Best Scenery: the entire Adriatic Coast but particularly on Jan. 4 when the sun finally came out.

Runner up: the awesome Postojna Caves (Slovenia)

6-Best city: Venice (Italy) the grand dame of the Adriatic with its magnificent decadence and decay. So like our beloved New Orleans.

7- Best new building (for Europe less than 200 years old) Joze Plecnic's abbey/cloister circa 1880  in Ljubljana (Slovenia) an example of "Post Modern" long before the term was coined.

8- Best Meal: the traditional Croatian Feast for our group's country dinner in Split (Croatia)

9-Best fun time: Budja (Montenegro) at Cafe Hemingway cursing all those Belami boys.

10- Best Tour Guide (other than Martin our group leader) Boras in Split (Croatia) because he helps us visualize the city with its complex layering as Diocletian's palace. It should be noted that all of our city tour guides were licensed. Also, tour buses are not allowed in the "historic old section" of the cities. This would be our French Quarter. There were designated areas for the buses to park and groups were lead in by tour guides. All tours were walking tours. I was impressed with all the tour guides for their professionalism and historic/architectural knowledge. Every one of them understood the importance of historic preservation and what it meant to tourism.  

Photos by Peter Patout

Photo 1: Our entourage (Tulane students & friends) at the 1st century amphitheatre in Puga, Croatia

Photo 2: Lloyd Sensat & sketchbook/journal in picturesque Rovinj, Croatia

Photo 3: Gene Cizek & Lloyd Sensat in Kotor, Montenegro