Story
Key Things To Check Out
When to Visit
Key Events
Slice of Nostalgia
What to do
Local Flavours
Local Cousine
Did you know?
Where to Stay?
How to Get There?
Tips & Hints

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Although the amazingly preserved amphitheatre in the town announces Pula’s Roman origins, its history in fact stretches far beyond this period. Archaeological findings in the area suggest that Pula’s history stretches back to 40,000 or even 1 million years BC!

PulaThe lasting legacy of the Romans!

Pula is known for its mild climate, smooth and pristine sea, magnificently unspoiled nature and incredibly unique Brijuni National Park. This grand city of the Istrian peninsula has an ancient tradition of winemaking, fishing and shipbuilding, and has customarily been one of the forerunners of Croatian tourism. Pula is packed with ancient Roman buildings, the most famous of which is its 1st-century amphitheatre, one of the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the world and one of the most famous sights in the whole of Croatia!

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Blend of Vital Elegance

Key Things To Check Out

Stroll with the Romans

The largest town on the Istrian peninsula offers a diversity of attractions to lovers of culture and 190 kilometres of crystal-clear indented coastline. The rich itinerary of its three thousand year old history, where every step you take through the old town is a landmark, begins and ends with the Roman amphitheatre, but you will also come across numerous other preserved monuments of Roman architecture. A unique experience is also relaxation in the main town square, which has managed to retain its role as the meeting place since the Augustan Age.

The Arena

The Arena is the name of the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers and all three Roman architectural orders entirely preserved. It was constructed in 27 BC – 68 AD as Pula became a regional centre of Roman rule, it could seat more than 20,000 spectators and today represents the best preserved ancient monument in Croatia. The arena is often used as a venue for various festivals and concerts and carries considerable prestige among many famous artists who have had a great privilege to perform there.

National Park Brijuni

National Park Brijuni comprises the 14 splendid islands of ideal microclimatic conditions and exceptional beauty. Because of the millennial presence of men on the archipelago of Brijuni, the flora and fauna of the islands has been continuously enriched by many imported species not congenial to that habitat. With about 600 indigenous species of plants, a 1700-year-old olive tree, numerous native and seasonal birds, Istrian oxen, donkeys and goats, and a safari park that includes cedar, sequoia, cypress, eucalyptus, bamboo, deer, waterbuck, zebra, zebu, mouflon and elephant, NP Brijuni truly remains one of nature’s greatest wonders.

The Arch of the Sergii

is an Ancient Roman triumphal arch constructed between 29 and 27 BC that commemorates three brothers of the powerful Sergii family, specifically Lucius Sergius Lepidus, a tribune serving in the twenty-ninth legion that participated in the Battle of Actium. The glorious arch, often called “the Golden Gate”, has attracted the attention of many great artists, including celebrated Renaissance master Michelangelo.

Kastel

Kaštel is a star-shaped castle with four bastions built in 1630, most probably on the site of an earlier fortress dating from the pre-Roman and Roman period. Wishing to protect the city and its harbour because of its great significance in maritime trade in the North Adriatic, the Venetians commissioned the building of the Castle from the French military architect Antoine de Ville. Today the Castle houses the Historical Museum of Istria.

When to Visit

Go Over from April to October

Even though you may visit Pula and its surroundings throughout the year and still experiences all the marvels of that remarkable city, it would be great shame not to enjoy comfort of several of its shiniest beaches and swim around its charming sea resorts. The delightful towns and villages along the neighbouring coast offer various recreational activities and a chance for deep repose in the lulling shade of countless pine trees.

Key Events

Events in Pula

The open-air concert season

The open-air concert season, which usually lasts from June till September, never fails to present a number of most renowned artists from all around the globe, with the Arena being the most coveted venue. Some of the big names, of which several have performed more than once, include: Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, 2Cellos, Leonard Cohen, David Gilmour, Elton John, Sting, Tom Jones, Eros Ramazzoti, Zucchero, Manu Chao, Simply Red, Jamiroquai, Norah Jones, Alanis Morissette, Seal and countless others.

The Lighting Giants

The “Lighting Giants”, Pula’s new attraction, is a unique project in the world of lighting cranes of an operating shipyard. Dean Skira, a world-famous lighting designer, with the help of sponsors and workers of Uljanik Shipyard, has lit up the shipyard’s iconic cranes, a characteristic symbol of Pula. “Lighting Giants” have a sophisticated remote control system of lighting and scenography, and can be illuminated with 16 thousand different colour combinations. You can enjoy this spectacular show and lighting display every evening from dusk till 10 pm, or midnight during the summer.

The Pula Film Festival

The Pula Film Festival is the oldest annual Croatian film festival, held in the Pula arena in July or August since 1954 and previously attracting glamorous actors such as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Orson Welles and many others. Apart from film screenings open to the public, the annual Croatian film industry awards (called Golden Arenas) are also traditionally presented at the festival. The awards presented at the festival are the main national film awards in the country and they serve as the Croatian equivalent of the American Academy Awards, British BAFTA Awards etc.

Slice of Nostalgia

Byzantine Pula

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city and region were attacked by the Ostrogoths and ancient Pola was virtually destroyed by Odoacer, a Germanic foederati general in 476 AD. When their rule ended in 538 AD, Pola came under the rule of the Exarchate of Ravenna (540 – 751). During this period Pola prospered and became the major port of the Byzantine fleet and integral part of the Byzantine Empire.

What to do

What to do in Pula?

Chilling Around

In Pula you can spend your time drinking coffee in some of the numerous cafe bars in the town center and on the beaches around Pula, where you can enjoy swimming in the pure Adriatic Sea or eat great seafood in one of the many outstanding restaurants. If you would rather prefer a cultural boost, you can visit some of the more prominent museums (Archaeological Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria, Agripina’s house etc.) or art galleries and find out more about the city’s history.

Roaming Around

If you like active vacation more than sunbathing, then you have a wide variety of sports to do. Diving, fishing, windsurfing, sailing, yoga on surfboard, full moon kayaking, sightseeing flights, golf, carting are some of the most interesting. However you should definitely check the great cycling routes around the Cape Kamenjak, the southernmost tip of Istria, where legendary annual mountain bike races are traditionally held.

Brijuni Excursion

The sightseeing tour of the Veli Brijun includes: a ride by tourist train, visit to the remains of the Roman villa rustica from the century B.C. in the bay of Verige, and the safari park which breeds the following animals: zebra, Somali sheep, zebu, dromedary, llama and elephant. The tour also includes visits to the Church of St. Germain, with permanent exhibition of frescoes and Glagolitic scripts from Istria.

Local Flavours

Abundance of Taste

Travel experts will first tell you that Pula with its surroundings is the truffle, muscat and olive oil capital of the world, but the soil of the region is so rich that one can enjoy everything from various refreshing fruits (e.g. strawberries, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, grapes and figs) and tasty vegetables (e.g. asparagus, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, chard, spinach etc.) to abundant seafood and all kinds of juicy meat. (autorski tekst)

Olives
Suffice to say that at the 2016 edition of the New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC), nine extra virgin olive oils from Croatia won Gold and Silver Awards. Six out of the nine Croatian award winners are producers from the peninsular region of Istria, i.e. from Pula’s vicinity.

Truffles
Gourmet cuisine today is unthinkable without his Majesty, the truffle, considered the highlight of the regional cuisine. To celebrate the valued truffle and its importance, Istrian government established the Real truffle (“Tartufo vero”) label of excellence that is awarded to the selected restaurants in Istria for preparing the truffle according to the highest gourmet standards.

Boskarin
Boškarin is a white-grey long-horned Istrian cattle saved from extinction and today hailed as a symbol of the region and a true gourmet delicacy. Boškarin’s meat is prepared with traditional recipes that are also taking on a new note, so there are some forty restaurants in Istria which now serve boškarin as the highest gourmet dish of the haute cuisine.

Local Cousine

Passionate Intensity of Great Balance

Istrian cuisine will enchant you with its great variety and exceptional balance. Sometimes you will experience the Mediterranean side of Istrian cuisine, but at other times its continental side. Adapting readily to the seasons of the year, it always uses the best olive oil and a variety of excellent wines. No matter what time of year you visit Istria, you will find Istrian gastronomy to be equally strong, passionate and intense.

Fusi

Fusi (fuži in Croatian) is a traditional Istrian pasta dough rolled-out into a thin sheet, cut into strips three to four centimetres wide and placed over each other. The strips are then cut diagonally, producing diamond shapes. Two ends of each diamond are then folded over each other to meet in the middle and pinched together, making the fusi look like a bow. It is served with a mild red veal sauce, which is usually made out of onions, tomato paste, white wine and broth.

Istrian prosciutto

Istrian prosciutto (pršut in Croatian) is probably the only dry-cured ham in the world where the meat is dried with the skin removed and a layer of pepper is used to protect it from going bad. Apart from numerous technical details, its most prominent feature is that it is not smoked, but only dry-cured and treated with sea salt or seasoned with some additional natural spices such as pepper, bay leaves, rosemary and garlic.

Manestra

Maneštra (from Italian minestra, “soup”) is a vegetable stew from Istria made with spring corn and popular in the whole of the northern Adriatic. It is served as a first course soup if the main ingredients are vegetables, but it can be served as a main course if it is made of “stronger ingredients” such as meat.

Istrian pinca

Istrian pinca is a traditional sweet bread loaf made from lots of eggs, with the sign of a cross carved in with a knife on the upper side before baking. Pinca is eaten to celebrate the end of Lent, and together with Easter eggs has remained the centrepiece of the family Easter breakfast in the region.

Malvasia

The most significant wine of Istria is certainly Malvasia (Malvazija in Croatian), a white sort grown on almost two thirds of the entire grapevine plantations extending over the area. The vine was originally introduced to the area by Venetian merchants, who brought cuttings from Greece. Malvasia has been for long a predominant sort in Istria, thus recognized as a synonym for the Istrian white wine.

Did you know?

Dublin’s Own in His Passing Home

Renowned master author James Joyce stayed in Pula for five months from October 1904 for the purpose of teaching English to Austrian officers at the Berlitz Language School. Despite once calling Pula a “naval Siberia”, he is thought to have written part of his first novel “Stephen Hero” there, while already working on his classic “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”. A bronze James Joyce statue now sits at “Uliks” (Ulysses) cafe in Pula, near the “Golden Gate” entrance.

Where to Stay?

Variety of Excellence

There’s a tremendous variety of first-rate accommodation in and around Pula. Most of Pula hotels and villas are outside town on the lovely Verudela peninsula, with beach access and plenty of sports. There are also some great camping sites in the vicinity on the very best beaches, which also rent out private bungalows. For a beach holiday that kind of a setting couldn’t be better, but if you want to experience the “real Pula” or check out the museums, definitely stay in the town centre.

How to Get There?

Plane and Car, the Best by Far

Plane
Pula Airport is located north-east of Pula and serves both domestic and international destinations. Similarly to nearby Rijeka Airport, it was not a major international destination until low-cost airlines started scheduling many flights to Pula some ten years ago. On 9 April 2015 a daily seaplane service from the downtown seaplane terminal at the city’s main waterfront was also established, with flights to Rijeka and the islands of Rab and Mali Lošinj.
Car
The Istrian Y is a highway complex in the Croatian highway network, called like that because of its shape like the letter Y. The network complex is vital for connecting charming Istrian villages and sea resorts with Pula, as well as other parts of Croatia and neighbouring countries.
Bus
Pula Bus Terminal is the main hub for Istria located on the edge of town, just west of the Amphitheatre. From there an excellent service to a wide range of local, domestic and international locations is available throughout the year.
Railroad
A train service operates north from Pula to Slovenia, however the line remains disconnected from the rest of the Croatian Railways network. Plans to tunnel the “missing link” between this line and from Rijeka have existed for many years, and despite work commencing on this project previously, still hasn’t seen completion.
Ship
Passenger ferries also operate from the port area to nearby islands, and also to Venice and Trieste in Italy from June till September.

Tips & Hints

Practical Tips

Pula + heritage tour mobile application is a cultural guide of the city of Pula and comprises two cultural routes, Roman and Austro-Hungarian Pula, and the most important cultural sights and localities built at that time. Through an interactive map, photo gallery, text and myths about origins of each locality, the user is being introduced with about some 70 sights and the turbulent history of the city.

That fairly unknown little gem under the Pula Arena is located in the underground passages once used by the gladiators. In modern times the cellars serve as an exhibition of viticulture and olives growing in ancient Istria. You can peruse an interesting display of Roman artefacts and maps or marvel over reconstructions of machines once used to make olive oil, wine and amphorae.

Pula isn’t a large city (only about 60,000 inhabitants), so it is easy to walk around and enjoy its tranquil beauties. After a stroll along the waterfront, check out the town centre that was once a Roman Forum. The piazza today is a pedestrian-only zone that contains plenty of cafes, restaurant and shops.

The surrounding small towns and villages also hold beautiful beaches, such as Medulin, Banjole, Fažana, Ližnjan, Pomer, Premantura, Šišan, Štinjan etc. If you come by car, all those places are accessible via local roads, but most of them also have a daily bus line leading from and to the city.

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