Istria is a small peninsula which is primarily in Croatia, but a small slip of Istria is in both Italy and Slovenia. Today we explored some of the the sights of Croatian Istria.
We started the day early, leaving Ljubljana at 6:00am. This permitted us to pull into the first city on our itinerary, the southern Istrian port city of Pula. Our first stop was the Arena of Pula, a very well preserved Roman coliseum. The Arena also had a cellar where we saw an exhibit about the olive oil trade as well as many amphora, vessels for carrying wine and olive oil.
Next we walked through Pula, stopping at various historic landmarks including several Roman gates. Another stop was to see one of the best preserved Roman mosaics, very well preserved and very well hidden…in the entryway of a modern apartment building.
Finally, we went to the city center which had been a Roman forum in ancient times. This included Temple Augustus, a temple dedicated to the Emperor Augustus Caesar.
After an hour of free time, we got back on the bus and went to the port city of Rovinj where we saw the Cathedral of St. Eufemia and wandered the streets of this medieval port town whose architecture is influenced by its long relationship with Venetian empire.
The last stop for today was the charming hill town of Motovun. There we walked the city walls and tiny streets high on a hill reminiscent of a Tuscan hill town. Most of us took time out to enjoy a plate of pasta (perhaps with truffles) or a dessert and enjoy the view.
