In Search of Gladiators

Oh, wow!  Look what's at our marina doorstep!

Pula, Croatia.  Roamin' the Ruins, Part One

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!

Oh, not another Roman Ruin...

On our return, we pulled into the ACI Marina, where JKip was waiting.  Yes, the ferry beat us...  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.

#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…. Luckily, the Romans didn't know what they were missing out on.

#2. Arch of the Sergians & Portarata Square.  In the 1^st 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 13^th c church and monastery dedicated to followers of St Francis. We're not sharing it with you though! 

Cloister of the monastery

Gothic interior with some lovely features.
Quite simple after the excesses of Venice

#4. Town Hall & Temple of Augustus.  The Istrian Peninsular came under Roman rule in 44BC and Pula grew to be quite a large administrative centre with many grand public buildings. 

We understand this fully roofed temple, built 2^nd c AD to Augustus, is quite rare because it has a roof. 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.