On Thursday, May 7, still based in Rovinj, we explored the Istria peninsula. Drove down to the southern tip of the peninsula to Pula. This is what passes for a big town here, about 100,000 residents. Our host said she disliked going there because it is too chaotic. It was a major center in Roman times, fell in importance as the empire was destroyed and then was devastated by Genoa as part of that city state's wars with Venice. It is amazing how this region was repeatedly caught in the crossfire of the wars between the Italian city states, the Byzantines, Ottamans, and the Habsburgs. The latter built it up as a port and navel base. Thus it became and is a center of trade, and industry, shipbuilding. James Joyce and his new bride, whose house we visited in Galway on a prior trip, even lived here for a while under the Habsburgs.
However it also has a well-preserved old town and Roman era structures. The biggest and best is a very well-preserved amphitheater. It was the 6th largest in the empire and was the host of many gladiator fights. Used by the Romans for entertainment for the masses, they also apparently spewed blood on the togas of the attending dignitaries sitting in the front rows. They even had water reservoirs at the top of 4 towers ringing the arena to spray water on the specters to offset the blood. The fighting area was covered with sand, which was harena in Latin -- hence the name arena -- to facilitate the cleanup of the blood between each match. Sitting in the seats it was easy to imagine the sport/carnage that took place here.
The basement has a large collection of amphorae, that at first glance look like skulls, but were mass produced Roman jugs used to transport the wine and olive oil that were, and still are, the primary exports of the region. Driving around the countryside you see endless small vineyards and olive tree groves.
The Forum still functions as the main square and has several Roman temples that have been converted to other uses, including the City Hall which has 5 national flags flying in it. Cafe Uliks has a statute of Joyce, where he hung out and there is an arch honoring a sidekick of Augustus who fought with him in the post Julius Ceasar wars that was put up by an early feminist.
The Pula parking meters eat kuna, (Croatian currency) although the exchange rate is very good, so we left in the afternoon for Motovun. This small medieval town sits on the top of a steep (12% grade on the road) mountain and is protected by three walls. The second wall is covered by a rampart, walking on which offers terrific views of the surrounding vineyards and canals. It is topped by a fort that has been converted into a hotel. These people were understandably concerned about invaders and their fortifications were never breached, nor did their walls come down. We had a small lunch on the top on a balcony that overlooked the valley. As I was downing my beer, two paragliders swooped by us within yards of our table. They were calling out greetings to the diners.
Then drove to Zavrsje. Google took us way out of the way because the road leading there by the most direct route was partially a dirt road. So we went by Brtonigla, small with wineries and haphazard streets, and Bule, big, before getting there. This is a nearly deserted town that has a ghost like feel. We saw more dogs than people. It once was a small but thriving town that had a Roman road run through it and was the subject of many wars, but after WWII, when the area was taken from Italy and given to Yugoslavia, the majority Italian families fled. Their houses, many of which seemed to be large and multi-storied, now stand in ruin, inhabited by cats and vegetation. There was one older guy who seemed to be watching us as we walked around town. When we were leaving he finally said hello, or maybe it was goodbye. The EU has put up lots of historical signs and built a seemingly very big schoolhouse for this now almost deserted town. We left by the dirt road which was very passable.
OSHA has not reached this part of the world. Workers on scaffoling working without helmets or harness. And on the narrow winding road leading up to Motovan, which had a stone wall on one side and a cliff on the other, we saw a worker driving a large front loader who was engrossed in the messages on his smart phone. the latter are ubiquitous here with even vitally all the school children having one.
Ate dinner in a pizza place. Food was good, but the waitress could not understand my request for tap water, so I ended up paying for a small bottle of water that tasted just as if it had come from the tap. Get used to local customs.
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