Hidden Croatia
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Istria

11 lesser-known places in Istria, with history, curiosities, a map and tours nearby.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

11 places

The Arch of the Sergii in Pula, a Roman triumphal arch with paired Corinthian columns
Roman & ancient

Arch of the Sergii

Pula · Roman arch built by a woman's gift

The chapel of St Mary Formosa in Pula, surviving part of the Byzantine basilica
Church & monastery

Chapel of St Mary Formosa

Pula · sixth-century chapel, last trace of a lost basilica

The Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč, a sixth-century Byzantine cathedral in Istria
Church & monastery

Euphrasian Basilica

Poreč · 6th-century cathedral covered in gold mosaics

Fort Punta Christo, an Austro-Hungarian coastal fortress near Pula
Castle & fortress

Fort Punta Christo

Pula · vast Austro-Hungarian fort guarding the bay

Figure of a Histrian man, a depiction of the ancient people of Istria who lived at Nesactium
Roman & ancient

Nesactium

Nesactium · Histrian capital turned Roman town near Pula

Pazin Castle, also known as Castello di Montecuccoli, standing on its rock above the gorge in Pazin
Castle & fortress

Pazin Castle

Pazin · Istria's largest castle above a vanishing river

The ruined castle of Pietrapelosa, also called Kostel, on its crag above the Bračana valley
Castle & fortress

Pietrapelosa

Pietrapelosa · the 'hairy stone' castle near Buzet

The Porta Gemina in Pula, a Roman gate with two semicircular arches, in a photograph from around 1900
Roman & ancient

Porta Gemina

Pula · twin-arched Roman gate that survived burial

Savudrija lighthouse, the stone tower and its keeper's buildings on the cape
Modern & art

Savudrija Lighthouse

Savudrija · the Adriatic's oldest working lighthouse, lit in 1818

Rovinj old town with the church of St Euphemia and its bell tower on the hilltop
Church & monastery

St. Euphemia's Basilica

Rovinj · Baroque hilltop church with a Venetian-style tower

The Roman Temple of Augustus with its Corinthian porch on the forum square in Pula
Roman & ancient

Temple of Augustus

Pula · Roman temple to Augustus on the old forum