Page 32 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2019 PORTUGAL

ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS

As we entered the Old Town and strolled
the limestone-paved streets, we marveled at
the charming Baroque, Gothic, and Renais‐
sance-style buildings - all exceptionally well-
preserved. At times, you feel as if you're
wandering through a carefully constructed
historical theme park.
Our first stop was the iconic Placa, also
known as Stradun Street. This bustling thor‐
oughfare is Dubrovnik's main promenade, di‐
viding the city into its northern and southern
halves. Originally a canal separating two an‐
cient settlements, the area witnessed the
merging of Roman and Greek settlers with
Croatian-Slav neighbors over time. The
street was paved with limestone in 1468, and
because of centuries of foot traffic, the sur‐
face is remarkably smooth and seriously
slippery when wet. The Baroque-style stone

32 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE WINTER/SPRING 2024