Pula has a large harbour and although somewhat industrial, it offered a few good anchorages off shady woodlands, in shallow & protected areas. Rather nice in the heat & humidity! However the internet allowance ran out and our generator continued to play up, so back to the hardworking Waeco and warm beer. The Cap’n assumed his crouching position deep down in the bilges, and spoke nicely to our temperamental “x5!zz**!%” Queen of Broken Hearts. But it all came to naught. So we booked a marina in Venice for 2 weeks and skedaddled. To hell with the expense – at least we would have electricity AND cold beer!
On our
return, we pulled into the ACI Marina. A
large Roman Amphitheatre, straight out of “Gladiator”, dominates the town
skyline, especially so at night, and it beckoned us for another wee land break.
Pula’s old centre is right off the
marina, with Roman ruins within easy walking distance, including a few
interesting medieval churches. So then,
here’s our Pula “best shot” list.
Oh, not another Roman Ruin... |
#1. Internet: We walked the old city centre to
find a phone shop to buy data. Internet
is the boating essential these days,
especially for weather forecasting. It’s
a bit like a pilgrimage in Ancient Greek times to the Oracles at Delphi. And our journey was similarly long and
arduous but we knew our priorities….
#2. Arch of
the Sergians & Portarata Square: In
the 1st c AD, the Sergii Family fought in support of Octavian (later
Augustus) and ensured his success in the battle with Marc Anthony &
Cleopatra (perhaps the Preveza battle?).
This triumphal arch acknowledges that support.
Arch of the Sergians... not pretty but still standing after all these years |
#3. Franciscan Monastery: Thankfully we were given literature that explained a little about this unassuming 13th c church and monastery dedicated to followers of St Francis. We're not sharing it with you though!
Cloister of the attached monastery |
Gothic interior with some lovely features |
We understand this fully roofed temple, built 2nd c AD to Augustus, is quite rare. It includes a Temple to Diana (Goddess of the Hunt) and stands near the old Roman Forum and Town Hall. Amazingly, these ruins remained in reasonable condition despite damage from shelling in WW2.