Located on a small island between the Croatian mainland and the island of Čiovo, on the Adriatic coast, at 27km west of the city of Split, the historic city of Trogir is an excellent example of a medieval town built on and conforming with the layout of a Hellenistic and Roman city that has conserved its urban fabric to an exceptional degree. The ancient town of Tragurion (island of goats) was founded by Greek colonists from the island of Vis in the 3rd century BC. The Hellenistic town was enclosed by megalithic walls and its streets were laid out on a Hippodamian grid plan: the line of the ancient cardo maximus is that of the modern main street. The town flourished in the Roman period as an oppidum civium romanorum; during the late Roman period it was extended and refortified. It was also endowed with two large aisled basilicas, sited where the latter-day Cathedral and Benedictine Church of St John the Baptist now stand.
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