In October 2016 I wrote a blog about Split being one of UNESCO's capitals of the world. If this sounds like one of those overconfident bragging so usual in Split, try to beat one of arguments I made; there are really not so many places in the world who can say there are no less than six World Heritage locations within under than two hours of trip by car or ferry from the city centre. You can check that list in a blog I linked, but it actually needs a significant update. Now there are eight UNESCO locations within the same circle, and besides Dubrovnik and Plitvice there is another one on Velebit mountain suitable for just a little bit longer stay. The only one beyond that group is Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč. Beat that.

What changed? About a month ago, in case you missed that news, two spots in Šibenik and Zadar were listed as part of listing called Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar which includes fortifications built by Republic of Venice in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro. Croatian share are two locations. First one is fortress of Saint Nicholas in Šibenik, one of four Venetian fortresses in that old Medieval city, and the mightiest of them all. Fortress still waits for some renovation, but even now it will leave you breathless after nice stroll on a walking path through the canal leading from Šibenik to open sea. Another one is defence system in Zadar, walls surrounding the oldest part of one of the oldest towns in Croatia. Besides those two, the latest Croatian UNESCO location is on Velebit mountain, and it's part of multinational listing of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.

Looking from the Split perspective, of course, our point is that now it's even more obvious: there is no better starting base for any dedicated UNESCO sites chaser than Split.