The Bridge to Dalmatia

The author's "search for the meaning of place" begins with the strong environmental identity his forebears had with their origins in Croatian Dalmatia and the "bridge" they built between this and their new homeland in California. He explores the evolving nature of identity with place.

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The author's "search for the meaning of place" begins with the strong environmental identity his forebears had with their places of origin on the islands and peninsulas of the Adriatic coast of Croatia. These immigrants built a "bridge" between Dalmatia and their new homeland on the geographically similar California coast, enabling them to put down permanent roots in San Francisco while maintaining a strong connection to places left behind. Violich's own attachment to the culturally and environmentally diverse Bay Region, and the influence of his family's strong connectedness to Dalmatia, became a dual footing for his theory of place identity based on directly experiencing form and content of these two regions. The reader accompanies the author to Zadar, Split and Brac to discover the distinctive structural systems and human meanings hidden along the Dalmatian coast. "Reading the environment" involves walking unguided, talking with residents and creating mental maps and images of what is observed - intended to allow a free play of spontaneous responses to shared experiences in an intuitive, phenomenological frame of mind.
Violich integrates field studies of a dozen Croatian cities, towns and villages with Croatian writings and archival materials in his examination of how personal heritage is tied to geographical place. He explores the evolving nature of identity with place and expands notions of environmental awareness and geographical perception.