The Istrian Peninsula, in the northwest corner of Croatia, is an inviting mix of pungent truffles, Roman ruins, striking hill towns, and pastel coastal villages, with a breezy Italian culture (left over from centuries of Venetian rule).
While the wedge-shaped Istrian Peninsula has many tacky and forgettable resort towns, the seafront port of Rovinj – like a little Venice on a hill – is one of my favorite small towns on the Mediterranean.
Rising dramatically from the Adriatic as though being pulled up to heaven by its grand bell tower, there’s something particularly romantic about Rovinj (roh-VEEN). Some locals credit the especially strong Venetian influence here – it’s the most Italian town in Croatia’s most Italian region. Rovinj’s streets are delightfully twisty, its ancient houses are characteristically crumbling, and its harbor still hosts a real fishing industry.
Pula, on the other hand, isn’t quaint. Istria’s biggest city is an industrial port town with traffic, smog, and sprawl – but it has the soul of a Roman poet. Between the shipyards, you’ll discover some of the top Roman ruins in Croatia, including its stately amphitheater – a fully intact mini-Colosseum that marks the entry to a seedy Old Town with ancient temples, arches, and columns.
Of the dozens of amphitheaters left around Europe and North Africa by Roman engineers, Pula’s is the sixth largest, and one of the best preserved anywhere. Throughout the Middle Ages, scavengers scraped the amphitheater as clea
