Roman Amphitheatre, Pula
Jewel of the Adriatic
Jane Foster reports on the up-and-coming cruise destination of Croatia’s dreamy Adriatic coast
I
t’s not by chance that most cruises down the Adriatic set sail from Venice, invariably heading for Athens, to take in a great portion of the East Mediter-
ranean en-route.
Once a mighty empire, with her wealth based on trading and seafaring, Venice dominated the east Adriatic for 500 years, until her fall in 1797, and her influence can be felt in many of Croatia’s grand port cities, such as Zadar and Split, as well as pretty harbour towns like Hvar and Korˇ
cula.
Here, on the Istrian and Dalmatian seaboards, the legacy of La Serenissima remains, with a beauty that can only be matched by her arch-rival, the former city- state of Dubrovnik.
Pula
On the tip of the Istrian peninsula, Pula’s skyline is dominated by the magnificent Arena, a beautifully preserved 1st
AD amphitheatre, testament to the city’s Roman origins. In fact, Pula is one of
-century
-century Temple of Augustus, with its elegant open portico supported by six tall columns.
A 10-minute walk away, the well-
preserved Arena seats 22,000 spectators, focusing on a pit where gory gladiator fights were staged, until such forms of entertainment were banned in the 6th
several ancient port cities on the Croatian coast that date back almost two millennia. For the Romans, the Forum was the principle public meeting space. Today a vast paved area, it’s still the city’s main square, where locals meet for morning coffee in the shadow of the proud 1st
Pula
century. Today it hosts more peaceful spectacles – an annual film festival and open-air concerts, with recent performers including Tom Jones and Elton John. Lovers of 20th
-century literature might
note that Irish author James Joyce resided in Pula for several months in 1905. The ground floor of his former abode is now a cosy bar called Uliks (Croatian for
When hunger calls, keep in mind one word, tartufi. Pungent truffles from the Mirna Valley are a regional delicacy, which you can try in Pula’s numerous konoba (taverns), served with either fuži (Istrian pasta) or steak.
Zadar
If you’re looking for mementoes, buy a bottle of Maraschino, a syrupy liqueur made from marasca cherries, which has been manufactured in Zadar since 1821. Napoleon and Queen Victoria were both fond of this bitter-sweet tipple.
Winter 2012-13 I WORLD OF CRUISING 53
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