Description

Rovinj is one of the most beautiful towns on the Istrian coast, 34.5 km north of Pula. Its old town sits on a hill that was once an island, with pastel houses rising straight from the sea up to the bell tower of St. Euphemia. The clear lines of Venetian architecture have earned it the name “little Venice”.

The first traces of life here go back to the Bronze Age, and the town began to grow in the 3rd century. Parts of the medieval walls can still be seen around the 12th-century town gate, while Balbi’s Arch, built in 1678–79, stands where the old fish market gate once opened onto the harbour.

All lanes lead up to the Church of St. Euphemia, the finest example of Baroque architecture on the Istrian coast, completed in 1736. Legend says that in the 10th century the saint’s sarcophagus floated ashore at Rovinj, and the town has honoured her ever since. On the way up, climb Grisia, a cobbled street of stone steps where artists have exhibited their work in the open every August since 1967.

Life in Rovinj has always been tied to the sea, and its symbol is the batana, a wooden flat-bottomed fishing boat 4 to 6 metres long. The Batana House Eco Museum is listed in UNESCO’s register of best practices for safeguarding intangible heritage. In summer you can watch a batana being built on the waterfront, or listen to bitinada, the local songs in which singers imitate musical instruments with their voices.

Some twenty islands and islets lie off the coast. The largest is Red Island, named after its red soil: in fact two islands, St. Andrew and Maškin, joined by a causeway, about 15 minutes by boat from town. Benedictine monks built a monastery here in the 6th century, and in 1890 Baron Georg Hütterott turned it into a family residence and planted a park with plants from all over the world. Today it is a favourite day trip, with rocky and pebble beaches and shady paths, while Maškin is popular with naturists. Little St. Catherine is home to 456 plant species.

Just over 2 km south of the old town, Golden Cape Forest Park is perfect for a walk or a swim, and nature lovers can head to the Palud swamp.