Pula Favorites

Favorite thing: According to its size & simple monumentality, the Amphitheater in Pula represents the most magnificent structure from the period of Roman antiquity.
It also shows the importantce of Pula during Roman times.
Also, judging by the size of the Amphitheater in Pula, it ranks the 6th among the known & preserved structures of this sort in the Roman Empire.

Favorite thing: In Greek, amphitheatron means 'double theater'.
It is a specific Roman structure of great dimensions having an eliptical form.
Amphitheater was built to carry out Gladiator Games - ludi gladiatori ; fights between wild & enraged beasts - venetiones ;nautical battles - naumachiae & other games popular in the Roman World.

Favorite thing: Visit the Amphitheathre (named after the Emperor Vespasiano). It is very interesting and you can see where the lions used to be kept during the Roman Empire before fighting with the Gladiators - Now the cells are kept as a museum - old amphoras found at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea can be seen in there. You climb up to the top from where you will enjoy the view of the whole city. Now - actually for the last 40 years the Amphiteather has been used for the Film Festival (immagine seeing 'Top Gun' or 'Star Wars' on the biggest screen in the world) and the Opera Season, every Summer - The Three Tenor - Andrea Boccelli - even Maria Callas have passes through -
Rock concerts are also held in the Arena

Fondest memory: The Film Festival every Summer /////// The long stroll ai Giardini ////// The Dances all’Ulianik ///// The drive Lungomare ////// The sailing at night ///// The walks through the Castle ///// The Exitment of seeing your favourite soccer team (Istra) ////// The picking of the grapes ////// Camping on the islands that sorround Pola – always a different one - ////
Il Cantagiro e Gianni Morandi ////// The drive to Rovigno and Limski Kanal for calamari e pedoci *****
Gli amici drio la Rena ////// La gente sempre in buona vena ///// Di Pola c’e n’e una sola ////// Non serve piu neanche una parola /////

Favorite thing: Pula is not very interesting in itself, though it has some very good pieces of architecture (see the Roman arena, for example). But Istra's coast is extremely nice for sea diving and snorkeling: lots of small beaches may be found along the road. They may be difficult to reach, but they are rewarding.

Fondest memory: Very close to Pula, you may find the Brijuni Islands national Park: wonderful experience of unpolluted waters.

Favorite thing: For the best information on what is happening in Porec and how/when to goe there... you can visit www.istra.com/porec.
Poreè is one of the main tourist centres of Croatia situated on the western shore of Istria. The streets of Poreè are paved with the traces of great cultures: Hellenic, Romanesque and others. If you stroll through Poreè you will discover a series of interesting and beautiful scenes which will not leave you indifferent.

Favorite thing: History
Pula is located in Croatia, on the Istrian
peninsula. Istria, with its 1100 square miles,
and 200,000+ inhabitants is the largest
peninsula in Croatia, situated in the northern
Adriatic (a smaller northwestern part of Istria
is in Slovenia). Istria is known for its gently
rolling scenery, pleasant climate, good wines,
coastal tourist resorts, and beautiful beaches.
Its main economic center is Pula, a city of
70,000+ people, situated on its south-western
shore, around one of the most beautiful bays
in the Adriatic.
The geographical setting was certainly a big factor in Istria's historical development.
This is a place where Slavic, Romanic, and Germanic cultures touch each other, from
the times they first 'met', some time between the late antique period, and the
beginning of the middle ages.
The oldest traces of human life (about 1 million B.C) in this part of Europe were
discovered in the cave Sandalj near Pula. There are many discoveries from neolithic
times (6000-2000 B.C.), best documented through remains of pottery from that period.
The first mention of the name Pula, in its plural form as 'Polai', occurred in the III
century B.C., in the work of Greek poets Callimachus and Lycophron in the
mythological story of Jason and Medea. Jason, of course, stole the golden fleece, and
with the help of Medea run away. Colchis were chasing them, but could not catch
Jason, a very skilled sea traveler. They didn't dare to return without the golden fleece,
so they settled in the upper Adriatic, where the Illiric tribe lived, and named the city -
The City of Refuges, in their language - Polai. Centuries later greek pottery was
found, as well as parts of a statue representing Apollo, and some other traces of
Greek culture.

Favorite thing: The moste beautiful beach you can go to in pula is Verudela beach, thre is an hotel too

Fondest memory: The thing I miss moste in pula is The weather, the beach, and the city. At night in Pula if you stand on the beach, and if you look up in the skyes you can see the lighting of the city.

Favorite thing: visit Amphitheater: 7.30-21.00 15KN students 8KN. From the bus station head west Itarska for 100 m. This is one of the great Roman ruins still intact today, and perhaps Croatia's most popular tourist attraction after Dubrovnik. Built when the Romans settled here around 1AD, this Amphitheater (like the colleseum) housed gladiator contests and other events. Today, top music artists such as Sting and U2 play inside of it. Italian tourists love to see what their forefathers had made. This is a must see. Highly Rec