The Italian Job

Yesterday we slept in (0745hrs, oooooo) got ready and headed out for the town of Pula in the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula.  Pula is sort of a non-descript Croatian port town with one remarkable feature:

A Roman colosseum.  This colosseum was started by Caesar Augustus in the 1st century BC, worked on by Caesar Claudius and finished up by Caesar Vespasian in the 1st century AD, around the same time as the colosseum in Rome was completed.  

The colosseum is right in the heart of Pula, is the 6th largest in the world and one of the most complete examples of a Roman forum and architecture of its kind.  It was used until the 5th century AD, when gladiator-ing was outlawed.

We paid our admission and entered, free to wander about the structure as we pleased.  Back in the day the colosseum would host gladiator matches (complete with wild animals).  Being a gladiator back in the day was apparently a relatively cushy gig - you only had to fight a few times a year, enjoy decent pay and the perks of being a celebrity.

In this day and age they host concerts here, including Elton John and Placido Domingo.  Last year at this time, Leonard Cohen played. The closest thing we came to this year was a techno music festival. We looked around and tried to decide what the acoustics would be like.  Apparently you can't turn things up to 11 or it will start to affect the infrastructure of the building.

There are 4 rectangular towers around the colosseum, unique to this structure.  In ye olde Roman days they housed huge water resevoirs that were used to spray refreshing scents over the crowds and mask the smell of blood.

The colosseum seats around 25,000 (more than Rogers Arena, less than BC Place).  The sand in the amphitheatre was called 'harena', which gave the structure its nickname today, arena (learning!).

After exhausting the colosseum we headed into the basement which houses an exhibit on amphorae.  An amphora is a jug used by the Greeks and later Romans to carry oils, wine and fish, and many were lost at sea due to the amount of shipwrecks.  The amphora usually has 2 handles and a pointed end, used to stick in the sand or house in a proper stand.

The shape and size of the amphora usually dictates when and where it was built, so archaeologists find it helpful when trying to date shipwrecks.

After the exhibit we headed into the old town for lunch.  There is still a good amount of Roman architecture around town, so we took in as much as we could.

We had a look at the Temple of Augustus, which we all agreed was really cool looking.  We then learned that the Temple took a direct hit from an Allied bomb in WWII, then the Allies fixed it as a sort of "whoops, our bad".

A famous visitor to Pula was Irish writer James Joyce.  

We wandered back to the car and came across a miniature map of the city.  Because Judy loves all things miniature, we took a look.

We hopped in the car and headed back to our apartment in Rovinj, excited to explore what that city has to offer.  We strolled into the pedestriran-only (allegedly) old town.  We all found it charming and

significantly quieter than Dubrovnik and Split.

We headed to the opposite end of the peninsula and worked our way along, always in the shadow of the city's patron saint Euphemia.

We found a litte alley that looked like it led to the sea, but led  to a cocktail bar patio, so we decided to indulge.  Ron had a beer, Judy had a pina colada and Kelly had the booziest daiquiri ever made.  We relaxed and enjoyed the view.

The rocky shore along this part of the peninsula is very popular for swimmers and sunbathers.

After finishing our drinks Ron took a detour up to the cathedral to get some quick snaps.

We stumbled down the hill and into the harbour, when it was time for dinner.  We went to the same restaurant we ate at the night before, as the food was delicious, wine plentiful and staff friendly.  We ordered a bottle of San Tommosio white, which is native to Rovinj and enjoyed another delicious meal while watching the sun set.

After getting Ron his obligary ice cream, we grabbed a cab and turned in, gearing up for our last full day in Croatia and on the coast.