Croatia

The Enchantment of Rovinj and the Allure of Venice

Jeff

After Dubrovnik, Rovinj would be another “must see” city in Croatia. A historic harbor town located along the Adriatic Sea on the west coast of the Istrian Peninsula, it is very reminiscent of a number of quaint Italian villages. Travelers will appreciate the abundance of varied, colorful scenes that project charm and romanticism.

Below is a view of the Old Town looking north from the Rovinj Marina at Luka Rovinj. The Church of Saint Euphemia’s spire rises above all other structures.



Here is a closer view



The hilltop location and weathered cobblestone streets provide an array of old world venues to investigate.



In destination cities, there are usually cafes, small boutiques and unique emporiums and Rovinj will not disappoint. Rovinj is made for walking. As a mostly car-free town it invites visitors to explore the narrow alleyways and traverse up and down the stone stairways. Pedestrians stop often to admire the old world architecture and colorful facades.

Don’t get the wrong idea however, Rovinj has also evolved to appeal to the more contemporary taste of savvy travelers. There are interesting eateries and shops with up-to-date color schemes and modern offerings.



Tourists may have a tendency to forget that daily lives swirl about as they visit surrounding streets, but somehow mundane images seem to take on additional appeal in a setting such as Rovinj.



The dominant building and a favorite tourist stop is the Church of Saint Euphemia built on the highest hilltop between 1725 and 1736 .

*The bell tower bears a strong resemblance to St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and serves as a platform for the statue of St. Euphemia, the Patron Saint of Rovinj. The bronze sculpture is constructed on a spindle which enables it to turn indicating the direction of the wind.





The statue of St. Euphemia can be seen on the top of the bell tower in Rovinj.

The colorful buildings against the blue water and stormy sky provided plenty of opportunity for beautiful photographs.



To relax a bit and take in the ambience of the town, a stroll along the harbor is a top choice.

Walking around Rovinj, one is easily reminded that this is a seafaring locale relying on the Adriatic for its livelihood, tourism and recreation.





Reminders of the daily work

The rustic buildings pointing toward the sea have satellite dishes on the roofs providing a mix of the old and the new.



A number of marinas draw fishing and boating enthusiasts to the area.



A small ferry transports passengers between the town’s perimeter and the old section. A fine place to bid farewell to hard-to-forget Rovinj.



To catch the flight back to the United States, our tour group made a one-day stop over in Venice. Although we had been there before, the contender for the moniker, City of Love, still had plenty of charisma to offer.**



San Giorgio Maggiore island and church in Venice viewed from the Grand Canal walkway

The canals of Venice frame many interesting sights such as the Bridge of Sighs (left) and the San Giorigio del Greci Church (right)



If ever there was a location made for a romantic evening walk, it would be in-and-around the Grand Canal of Venice.



Early evening view of the famed gondolas with San Giorgio Maggiore island in the background



As darkness falls, the magic of the night unfolds in Venice

One of our favorite all-time great evenings was sitting in St. Mark’s Square with a glass of wine listening to the various orchestras compete in a make-shift “battle of the bands.” An evening in the square is a good place to cap off our great adventure.



 

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Euphemia,_Rovinj

**https://assist-ant.com/top-10-romantic-things-to-do-in-venice/

 

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See Previous Posts in this series:


Dubrovnik, Croatia – Pearl of the Adriatic

Old Town Dubrovnik – Above it all

Old Town Dubrovnik – The Low Down

Dubrovnik from the Adriatic and Mt. Srd

Montenegro & The Walled City of Kotor

Mostar – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Coastal City of Split, Croatia

Zagreb – Capital City of Croatia

Ljubljana – Capital of Slovenia

Slovenia – Cookies, Castle, Caves and Cuisine

Pula’s Ancient Heritage

 

Pula’s Ancient Heritage

Jeff


File Courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Pula, the largest city on the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia, is a major tourist destination. The most iconic landmark is the Amphitheater built by the Romans under the reign of Emperor Vespasian during the first century AD.



Originally constructed on the outskirts of town, it now finds a place among more contemporary buildings and parks.



The Amphitheater has been given the nickname of the Arena because of the sand covering the floor of the structure.



According to Wikipedia, the Pula Amphitheater is the only one in the world that has all four side towers intact.





Considering the age of the Amphitheater, it is amazing that the walls are still standing in “relatively good” condition.



As visitors walk around and through the infrastructure, they can easily imagine long-gone attendees sitting on stone benches.



Among the artifacts in the subterranean gallery is a wall of aged jugs.



Built between 1929 and 1931, St. Anthony’s Church stands in sharp contrast to the Arena and would probably be considered an “architectural infant” within that comparative framework.



Although the Amphitheater is ancient, the ability to seat 5,000 attendees enables it to serve as a venue for current film festivals, sporting events and concerts.

Another ancient structure in Pula, built between 29-27 BC, is the Roman Triumphal Arch of the Sergii which leads to Pula’s Old Town. The arch, originally constructed as a city gate, was built to commemorate the three Sergii brothers who were participants in the naval Battle of Actium.



Old Town has a main street lined with many merchants. Closer to the center, there is a picturesque side street with a number of restaurants.



The town center originally served as a meeting place and is currently used to host public events.



The Temple of Augustus is pictured on the left of Forum Square. The town hall, partially shown on the right, stands where the Temple of Diana stood during medieval times.



A number of Old Town buildings show signs of retrofitting to accommodate more modern lifestyles.

Perhaps a lesser known arch is the Porta Gemina (Twin Gates), a city gate built by the Romans between the 2nd and 3rd century as part of they city wall which had ten portals of entry.



Next stop – Our tour of Croatia nears the end in the stunning fishing port of Rovinj!



Rovinj

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See Previous Posts in this series:


Dubrovnik, Croatia – Pearl of the Adriatic

Old Town Dubrovnik – Above it all

Old Town Dubrovnik – The Low Down

Dubrovnik from the Adriatic and Mt. Srd

Montenegro & The Walled City of Kotor

Mostar – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Coastal City of Split, Croatia

Zagreb – Capital City of Croatia

Ljubljana – Capital of Slovenia

Slovenia – Cookies, Castle, Caves and Cuisine

 

Krka National Park – Wet, Wild and Wonderful

Jeff



Krka National Park is a relatively easy day trip from Split, Croatia and an option that I would heartily recommend. It is one thing to see images online, but nothing can convey the absolute beauty of being there.

The park’s name is derived from the Krka River which is the source of the water that dances over the numerous falls. It must be noted that during peak seasons the park is usually crowded, but still large enough to handle the traffic.

A main boardwalk guides visitors to many of the park’s most interesting venues.



What is striking about Krka is that there are so many waterfalls in such a condensed area.



At times it seemed like visitors were being ambushed by waterfalls that were lurking just around the bend.



While the waterfalls will prove most enjoyable, there are other elements to be enjoyed both natural and man-made.

The old stone house now serves as a souvenir shop…



and a water-powered grist mill is also interesting.



While strolling along the boardwalk it pays to be alert. There are fish swimming alongside the guided path obviously desensitized to the presence of visitors..



We also heard frogs croaking as we hiked through one area and sure enough they were hiding among the vegetation.



Carefully planned woodland routes include picturesque stone-walled stairways.



As much as we were enjoying our stroll through nature’s beautiful showcase, the ducks were enjoying it as well.



The star of the show were the numerous waterfalls which seem to spring up everywhere in rivulets or cascades in one form or another.



On the downward swing toward the park’s main attraction we passed this showy torrent.



From a nearby clearing we could see the prominent Skradinski Buk waterfalls and the boardwalk crowded with admirers.



The Skradinski Buk is a fitting highlight to the end of the tour. It is a series of layered rock terraces which turns the flowing stream into spectacular, interwoven cascades.





After leaving Krka National Park, we took a short boat ride to the quaint town of Skradin.



 

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See Previous Posts in this series:


Dubrovnik, Croatia – Pearl of the Adriatic

Old Town Dubrovnik – Above it all

Old Town Dubrovnik – The Low Down

Dubrovnik from the Adriatic and Mt. Srd

Montenegro & The Walled City of Kotor

Mostar – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Coastal City of Split, Croatia

 

 

Coastal City of Split, Croatia

Jeff



map courtesy of https://www.britannica.com/place/Split-Croatia
modified for clarity by JBRish.com

Split is the second largest city in Croatia and as the largest city on the Croatian coast, the seaport and marina area is a main tourist destination.



Our first formal stop in Split was at the Ivan Meštrović Art and Sculpture Gallery. Although he was a contemporary of Rodin and Klimt and eventually emigrated to the United States after WWII, his works do not appear to be very well-known in America.



Ivan Meštrović art and sculpture Gallery Main Entrance

What gallery would be complete without a cat to welcome visitors?


The gallery’s location is beautiful with an elevated view of the Adriatic Sea.



A few of my favorite sculptures on display:







The Pieta


Works by Ivan Meštrović – Video


This brief video shows the constrcution of The Bowman and the Spearman statues in Chicago’s Grant Park which have become controversial because of its representation of Native Americans.

 
The Diocletian Palace (retirement home of Emperor Diocletian) built during the Roman era using local limestone and marble is perhaps the premier attraction in Split.

Early in the palace tour, visitors are shown a tapestry of the compound which depicts how it might have originally appeared. At one time the Adriatic abutted the palace grounds, but now is kept well-back from the property line.



A clearer drawing of the diagram can be found HERE.

The basement is a maze of rooms and chambers which served as storage areas.



There is mention online that some of the dragon scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed in the “lower chambers” of the palace.*



Tourists may be surprised to find out that Diocletian Palace premises still maintains a dynamic residential community of approximately 3,000 residents and is one of the oldest historical inhabited monuments in the world.**

The nearby Cathedral of Saint Dominus once served as the Emperor Diocletian’s tomb.



Outside of the Cathedral, lion statues guard the entrance.



A huge Ivan Meštrović statue of Bishop Gregory of Nin stands north of the palace just outside the area known as the Golden Gate.



The female Benedictine Monastery currently known as St. Arnir [named after the Split Archbishop] is also located near the palace. The landmark bell tower rises above many of the nearby buildings.




One of the Monastery occupants doing some maintenance

The Renaissance style buildings surrounding People’s Square located in Split’s Old Town form a popular shopping and dining area.





Brač

The island of Brač (pronounced “Bratch”) is the largest island in Dalmatia and a favorite getaway destination for locals.



View of Split from the ferry to Brač

As the highest peak on Brač and also of all Adriatic islands, the Vidova Gora attracts hikers from around the world. Read more about the dramatic hike HERE.



View from near the top of Vidova Gora with the Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn) Beach peninsula in the background

The ferry to and from Brač arrives at the island village of Supetar where authentic scenes of island life catch the eye.



Picturesque side street



Church of the Annunciation – Supetar

Leaving Supetar to return to Split, ferry passengers may be able to get an idyllic view of the Cemetery of St. Nicolas peninsula.



Back on the mainland, Kavala Beach provides an interesting venue for seaside walks and people watching.



 

*Guide To Diocletian’s Palace: a “Living Museum” in Split Croatia – Scroll down to see actual dragon scene from the show captured at the palace.

** Following the steps of Emperor Diocletian meet today’s Split

 

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See Previous Posts in this series:


Dubrovnik, Croatia – Pearl of the Adriatic

Old Town Dubrovnik – Above it all

Old Town Dubrovnik – The Low Down

Dubrovnik from the Adriatic and Mt. Srd

Montenegro & The Walled City of Kotor

Mostar – Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

 

Mostar – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jeff



Map courtesy of The Organization for World Peace modified for JBRish readers.

Mostar is located in the southern portion of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is divided by the Neretva River.

Walking near Mostar’s old town, tourists may sense that the architecture has Turkish influences with minarets piercing the air.



Of particular note is the Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque (below) which stands as an outstanding example of Ottoman architecture. The tall and thin minaret can be climbed with paid admission.



Another aspect of Mostar that is reminiscent of Ottoman and Middle Eastern culture is the Bazaar-like section of old town.



Picture courtesy of mynoadiclifestyle

Flowers carefully planted outside the vintage windows help take the edge off the overabundance of souvenir shops.



The intricate patterned cobbled streets are sometimes tricky to negotiate.



It is the Neretva River, however, which necessitated the creation the area’s most famous landmark – – the “extremely arched” Stari Most (Old Bridge). The bridge has a storied history which you can read HERE.



While crossing the Stari Most, visitors will soon realize that there are raised horizontal strips which may make walking somewhat awkward, but without them the bridge can be very slippery. Tourists are advised to walk on the raised sections if possible.



To entertain visitors, young men stand atop the railings of the bridge and when enough people have provided monetary encouragement, they dive 70 feet from the bridge into the Neretva. The river also serves as a venue for rafting and kayaking.



The panoramic views from the top of the bridge are scenic and picture-worthy.



Mostar came under attack during the Bosnian war and the Croatian army destroyed the famed landmark.

 

While UNESCO and other countries assisted in rebuilding the bridge between 2001 and 2004, the painful experience the destruction represented has been seared deeply into the psyche of the local population.



Orašac Village – Earlier in the Day

On the way to Mostar, we stopped in a very quaint, quiet and picturesque town of Orašac, Croatia founded in 1040.



We were there to visit a small private garden and olive mill that has retained some of the traditional methods of producing olive oil.



The old olive press was quite a machine to see, but what was even more interesting was how the press was operated. One horse power was all that was needed.



Beautiful garden features lined the paths.



After a sampling of the offerings, we were on our way!

 

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See Previous Posts in this series:


Dubrovnik, Croatia – Pearl of the Adriatic

Old Town Dubrovnik – Above it all

Old Town Dubrovnik – The Low Down

Dubrovnik from the Adriatic and Mt. Srd

Montenegro & The Walled City of Kotor