Porec and Rovinj.

Porec is a nice town on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula; in Croatia. I have visited it some times.

I went to Porec from Trieste (IT) by coach.

The bus station in Porec is situated around 500 meters from the old town' s center. Let' s say it is ten minutes by foot. Here you can find a cafe, a bakery, a tobacconist kiosk and the toilettes.

You can go from Porec to various destinations in Croatia, Slovenia and other places; by bus.

The main street in Porec; Dekumanska ulica was also the main road during Roman times. It runs from east to west through the center of the old town.

It is a car free street with lots of shops and several cafes.

At the beginning of Dekumanska ulica you see a pentagonal tower. It dates back to the 1447. It is used as a venue for art exibitions.On this street you shouldn' t miss a Gothic palace built in the XV century and the museum inside Sincic Palace (XVIII century). Unfortunately it was closed last time I visited Porec.

The Euphrasian basilica is the main sight in Porec.

The basilica is the third church that was built on this site between the 4th and the 6th century. The first church was dedicated to Saint Maurus and dated back to the second half of the 4th century.

The present church was built by bishop Euphrasius in the 6th century.

Inside you can admire several mosaics around the apse. They depict Christ with the Apostles. The Virgin and Jesus child; twelve female saints. Saints Maurus, saint Euphrasius and other saints.

The church is part of a complex that includes a courtyard, the baptistery, the bell tower, and the bishop palace. This palace was built in the 6th century and houses a collections of religious artefacts.

Under the palace various mosaics and Roman remains are stored.

The complex also includes what remains of the previous churches; a large floor mosaic of the first one and various stone walls.

Landscape from the bell tower.

The so - called Romanesque house is a simple stone building. It was built in the 13th century and restored various times through the centuries. Until the end of XXII it was part of a palace destroyed during the war.

I have read it should house a museum and an exposition hall, I suppose this could be on the first floor. Unfortunately I found it always closed.

On the basement floor there is a souvenir shop is my memory serves me well.

The tourist train runs through a wood. While travelling you can see part of Porec from afar, lot of vegetation, some beaches and hotels.

It stops at three places; Brolo, Plava Laguna and Zelena Laguna. The journey takes around 35 minutes (one way).

This train departs from the edge of the wood Naftaplin; near the Marina. I think it operates from april until september. You can buy your ticket from the driver.

Hotel Porec is a good budget hotel. I have been there some times. It is situated some meters from the bus station.

I was always given a nice room with bathroom en suite.

The hotel has a two common areas where you can sit to relax after a long walk or after a day trip.

The breakfast was buffet style and there was a good choice of food. Bread, cheese, ham, eggs, fruits and other things. You could get coffee and cappuccino from a machine. These were quite good.

The dinner isn' t buffet style when there aren' t many guests at the hotel. Anyway I liked much the food I had.

Pizzeria -restaurant Nono is my favourite restaurant in Porec. It serves a good choice of pizzas, pasta, gnocchi (dumplings) and second courses, as fish or meat dishes.

Here they serve two sizes of pizzas. The small and the medium one. The small pizza is quite large; the medium one is extremely large.

Rovinj is a picturesque town some kilometers far from Porec. Its old core is located on a peninsula that was once an island. It is a popular tourist resort with plenty of accomodations, restaurants, cafes and shops.

There are daily buses from Porec to Rovinj and vice versa. Unfortunately on sundays less buses operate than the other days.

Rovinj is overlooked by the cathedral of Saint Euphemia; built in 1736 and located on the highest point of the town.

Rovinj' s main street. Carera ulica.

The basilica of Saint Euphemia is a Baroque church built in 1736 over the remains of older churches.

Saint Euphemia is Rovinj' s patron saint. Its relics are preserved in a sarcophagus behind the church' s main altar (on the right).

Eufemia was a young girl who lived in Chalcedon, in Asia Minor, and was devoted to Christianity. She didn' t want to give it up, so she was captured, tortured and thrown to lions who killed her but didn ' t eat her. Her body was kept in a sarcophagus in Constantinople until 800 A. D. 

The legend say that this sarcophagus with the saint' s remains floated on the seas all the way until Rovinj, where a small boy with the help of two cows managed to get the sarcophagus up the hill.

After the visit to the church you can go up the bell tower to enjoy the landscape over the town. The bell tower resembles Saint Mark's in Venice.

Another thing to do in Rovinj besides a visit to Saint Euphemia church and to a couple of museums (which I didn' t visit...) is taking a stroll along the narrow cobbled streets of the old town.

The streets in the old core are lined with lots of tall houses. Some are restored and other are dilapidated. In the old core there is a good choice of shops, restaurants and cafes.

Strolling in the old core you will almost surely get to the Grisia ulica. This is the street that runs from the Balbi arch to Saint Euphemia church. It is a long street lined with lots of shops and art galleries.

In this picture you see my mother on Grisia street.

The local outdoor market is not far from Tito trg; Rovinj's main square. It is in operation every day; even on sundays, in the morning.

Here you can find fruit, vegetables, typical spirits and honey. There is a spot where they sell souvenirs as well. I have read somewhere on the web that fish and meat are sold at some shops bordering the market.

So if you have to prepare your meal or if you like to buy some fruit or something else; this is a place to visit.

If you are not very hungry or it is too hot to have lunch; you could have a good ice cream. I did it twice in Rovinj. Both times I went to bar Sport. It is a cafe where you can have some good scoops of ice cream.

At bar Sport they have various ice cream flavours to choose from.