A Croatian Getaway

After a 20 minute flight from Ljubljana, we arrived in Pula (Croatia). As we flew in, we had a view of the Brijuni Islands National Park (where Marshal Tito built his private residence).

Flying over coastal Croatia.

After disembarking the plane, we drove to Rovinj for an afternoon boat cruise. Rovinj is a coastal medieval town with a scenic fishing port -- one of the last true Mediterranean fishing ports. This Croatian city is easily recognizable by its hilltop church of St. Euphemia, whose steeple dominates the skyline. 

Rovinj as seen from the sea.

Prior to Roman occupation, Rovinj was a settlement of Illyrian tribes. When the Romans came, they called it Arupinium or Mons Rubineus, and later Ruginium and Ruvinium. Originally, Rovinj was built on an island close to the coast though it was connected with the mainland in 1763 when the channel was filled in. Eventually, the town became part of the Byzantine empire then in the 6th century part of the Exarchate of Ravenna. In 788, it became part of the Frankish empire and then it came under the rule of different feudal lords. From 1209 it was ruled by the Aquileian patriarch and from 1283-1797, Rovinj was one of the most important towns of Istria under the Republic of Venice. After the fall of Venice and the Napoleonic interlude, Rovinj became part of the Austrian Empire until World War I, then it belonged to Italy from 1918-1947, when it was ceded to SR Croatia within SFR Yugoslavia. 

We navigated around the egg shape peninsula where Rovinj is located, floating past pastel colored houses and businesses along the way.

Businesses and houses as seen from the sea.

Floating by homes.

We sailed around the egg-shaped peninsula, passing the largest monument in the city... the Church of St. Euphemia. This church is a Venetian Baroque building whose bell tower was designed by the Milanese architect Alessandro Monopola, a replica of the Church of St. Mark in Venice. The tower construction started in 1651 and lasted 26 years! On the top of the tower, you can see a large, copper statue of St. Euphemia that was set in 1758 after the original wooden one was destroyed by thunder. 

The egg-shaped peninsula of Rovinj.

Scenery from the boat cruise.

Sailing past Rovinj.

We sailed past part of Rovinj's Old Town, where life started on what used to be an island secured by medieval walls. The city originally had seven gates, though only three remain today: the Gate of St. Benedict, the Portica, and the Gate of the Holy Cross. The old city started developing in the 3rd century and, due to limited space, narrow houses, narrow streets, and small squares were constructed. 

Sailing past Rovinj's Old Town.

After our two hour boat ride, we took a walking tour of Rovinj. The highlight was seeing the 44th Istrian bands meeting. This is an event that brings together 18 different amateur music orchestras from all over Istria. 

Marshal Tito Square in Rovinj with the bands performing and lining up.

The following day was a much needed day at leisure. With the fast pace of the trip, we wanted to be well-rested for our next destination... Kosovo. We spent the morning sitting outside our beautiful hotel in Istria. Istria is Croatia's northwest corner south of Trieste (Italy) and it resembles Tuscany with its rolling vineyards, olive groves, and ancient towns. The heart-shaped peninsula of Istria is also a global center for truffles, a highly prized delicacy. From our hotel room patio, we had views of the hotel's vineyards.

Our patio at Meneghetti Wine Hotel.

On the way back from breakfast, I stopped to admire the beautiful purple-hued flowers blooming all over the property...

...Before heading back to our two-story room. For almost a century, this hotel was a well-known refuge for Austro-Hungarian army officers serving in several military forts located in the southern part of the peninsula. Abandoned by all the former armies and owners, and overgrown with Mediterranean underbrush and weeds, the property was re-discovered in the early 2000s by Miroslav Plišo and his wife Romana Kajfež. Together, they turned this abandoned property into the highest category hotel in a few years' time. The rooms are surrounded by olive groves and vineyards, providing award-winning wine and olive oil. 

Our two-story room as seen from the path.

I spent the morning sitting outside in the sun, editing photos... A perfectly relaxing day in my book!

Lexi and I decided to order a room service lunch, but the highlight was our oreo dessert. Hey, we're on vacation, right?

The rest of the day, we enjoyed the hotel's property and the following morning I took another morning at leisure to catch up on some work. As it was pouring rain, I worked upstairs with the window open for a nice, Croatian breeze.

Morning cup of coffee.

Of course when I saw there was a truffle burger on the menu, I knew I'd be getting room service!

In the afternoon I went out to Pula despite the rain. Pula is Istria's main city with a wealth of Roman architecture. We began our walking tour by visiting the Temple of Augustus. Located in the main square of the city (that is called the Forum), this temple was dedicated to the first Roman empire.

Temple of Augustus from the side.

Front of the Temple of Augustus.

We then walked through the Triumphal Arch of the Sergi, best known as the Golden Gate. Erected by the Sergi family (a powerful Roman family which had maintained power/glory throughout the centuries), the Hellenistic Roman gate was named Porta Aurea (Golden Gate) due to its lavish decorative arch. The Triumphal Arch was erected in memory of three Sergi family members: Lucius Sergi, Lucius Sergi Lepid and Gnaeus Sergi. Archaeologists know this information due to the inscriptions which have been preserved on the gate.

Arch of the Sergi standing in Portarata Square.

The western side of the Arch has been lavishly decorated (Corinthian style with a significant influence of the Hellenistic art of Asia Minor) while the eastern part hasn't been carved to such extent. As it was located within the walls, it was not visible from the east part of the town during the Antiquity. The gate and city walls were destroyed in the 19th century when the new urbanization plan was adopted.

Looking up towards the gate.

We walked along remnants of the city wall to the Pula Arena. The Romans left behind the arena at Pula which is the 6th largest in the world. Similar to the Colosseum, the arena was designed for gladiatorial combat with seating for 23,000 spectators. This amphitheater is one of Europe's largest and best preserved, still used today for concerts, operas, and film festivals. Built in the 1st century AD, it is the only remaining amphitheater to have a four sided tower. The Pula Arena was built outside the town walls along the Via Flavia, the road from Pula to Rome. The first amphitheater in Pula was built in timber during the reign of Emperor Augustus but was later replaced by a small stone amphitheater enlarged by Emperor Claudius and completed in 81AD under Emperor Titus. 

Pula Arena with reflections from the rain.

The exterior wall is constructed in limestone and has two levels of 72 arches. One part of the wall has an extra level of 64 rectangular openings since the amphitheater was built on a slope. 

Seats, which were separated from the arena by iron gates, rest directly on the sloping ground.

Similar to the Roman Colosseum, the Pula Arena hosted legal proceedings as well as punishment of murderers, mutineers, and bandits. These punishments often consisted of bringing the convicts into the arena where they attempted to win a fight with one other or a wild animal. Below and to the left, you can see a grassy patch which is where the animal cages used to be kept.

Emperor Honorius prohibited gladiator fights in the fifth century and in 681, the fights between convicts and wild animals were forbidden. Until the 13th century, the arena was in disuse and builders removed many of its stones to construct other buildings in Pula. After that time, however, further removal of stones from the arena was forbidden. 

Flowers in the rain at Pula Arena.

The underground passageways have been restored and are now home to an exhibition on olive growing and viticulture (growing grapes for making wine). You enter through a long, narrow passageway before coming to the main room of the exhibit. 

There are machines used during ancient times to produce olive oil and wine (presses, mills and containers used to hold the finished products). 

Wagon with containers for wine.

Machinery as part of the exhibit.

Containers, amphorae, used for holding wine.

More wine containers.

After a very wet afternoon tour, we made our way back to the hotel. Apparently, I looked like a little turtle hiding in a shell (aka my raincoat). 

The next morning, we headed to breakfast taking in the views one last time...

...Before we were off to Kosovo, Europe's newest nation!

Flying out of Croatia. 

Thanks for reading about my latest adventures. Stay tuned for what's to come and be sure to hit the subscribe button on the homepage to be notified of new posts. As always, follow my instagram @elissatitle for more pics.