Arriving at the Ploce Gate we entered this fabled wall city dating from the 7th century to begin our exploration. Almost immediately we came across the St. Nicholas and St. Sebastian Churches. Coming into the Luza Square plaza at the lower end of the Stratun was the clocktower with bronze soldiers to ring the bell, and Sponza Palace. St. Blaise church sat the the western edge of the square with the large Cathedral behind it. Yes there are many, many small and large churches in this walled city. As an aside only about 1500 people live here with most owners renting out apartments to tourists or for shops. So after all this history we arrived at our hotel, the Pucic Palace. After lunch at Barba for Octopus or ground tuna burgers we visited the synagogue, Europe’s second oldest dating from at before the 13th century. They had 7 torah scrolls with many pre-dating the Inquisition of 1492. From there it was a stroll down the Stratum to the St. Savior square with a large church of the same name and Great Onofrio fountain. Then out the gate for a view of the walls. Our last activity of the afternoon (before shopping) was to ride the cable car to the top of Mt. Srd for a panoramic view of Dubrovnik and the surrounding area.
