Great Continental Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo's railway adventure reaches the Dalmatian coastal city of Zadar, once an important Venetian trading hub and still a centre for the production of a Venetian delicacy, Maraschino cherry liqueur. In Sibenik, Michael finds one of the first towns in the world to enjoy electric street lighting. At the Krka hydroelectric power station, he discovers how, in the 1890s, the pioneering ideas of the inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla were embraced by the mayor of Sibenik and his son. In the medieval backstreets of Trogir, Michael visits a renowned tailor to try on a traditional Dalmatian suit. He visits the spectacular palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian in Split, and at the Cathedral of St Domnius, he learns of the importance of Catholicism to the Croatian people.