Istrian Peninsula

Motovun    

The next two posts take a quick trip around the Istrian Peninsula beginning in the hill town of Motovun, makes visits to Pula and Rovinj, then stops for dinner in Brtonigla before returning to Motovun. 

Motovun    

The Greek geographer and historian, Strabo (64 BC to AD 24) referred to the Histri, an ancient tribe, as living in the region to which they gave the name Istria.  Strabo, a Greek, wrote the Geōgraphiká an encyclopedia of geography, first published in 7 BC.  He went as far west as coastal Tuscany, as far south as Ethiopia, traveled in Asia Minor and spent time in Rome. The Histri were a "Venetic" tribe, with some ties with Illyrians. The Romans described the Histri as a fierce tribe of pirates. As their rocky coasts protected them, it took two military campaigns for the Romans to finally subdue them in 177 BC.  Back to Illyria, in Greek mythology it traces to Illyrius, the son of Cadmus and Harmonia, who ruled Illyria and became the eponymous ancestor of the Illyrians.  Ancient Illyria (pre Roman) covered most of the Balkans, important in that we'll be traveling there later.

Truffle and Olive Oil Tasting

The midieval town of Motovun grew up on the site of an ancient city called Kastelijer situated on top of a hill.  The river Mirna flows below; across the river in the Motovun forest one can find both black and white truffles.  On the slopes, they grow Teran and Malvazija wine grapes.  Teran must be a local taste but Malvazija has more promise being the grape of Vin Santo in Tuscany, white Port in Portugal, Malmsey in Madeira, and as a clone in sherry, but the folks in Motovun still have a bit of work to do.  As for the truffles, they must keep the good ones for themselves.

Old Town Pula

Pula, at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, has a long history.  Greek tradition attributes the settlement of Polai to the Colchians, who chased Jason and Medea, on the lam after stealing the Golden Fleece, into the northern Adriatic.  Unable to catch him, they settled Polai.  But before them the area was populated, evidence of Homo erectus has been found in the cave of Šandalja near Pula and pottery from the Neolithic period (6000–2000 BC) has also been found nearby, as have many late Bronze Age (1800–1000 BC) objects.  Greek pottery and a part of a statue of Apollo attest to the presence of the Greek culture.  After the Romans conquered the Istria peninsula, they began a classical building boom.  A few things remain, most importanaly, Pula Arena, constructed from 27 BC to 68 AD, still stands.  The Romans also provided the city with water supply and sewage systems.  A bit of Roman wall and few gates remain.  After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogoths destroyed Pula in 476 AD.  Then it's a confusing bag of Byzantine Empire, Lombards and finally Franks until the Venetians took the town in 1148.  For centuries thereafter, the city's fate and fortunes were tied to Venetian power. It was conquered by the Pisans in 1192 but in 1238 Pope Gregory IX formed an alliance between Genoa and Venice against the Empire, and consequently against Pisa too.  As Pula had sided with Pisa, the Venetians sacked the city in 1243.  It was destroyed again in 1267.  The Venetians again took over Pula in 1331 and would more or less rule the city until their downfall in 1797.   But wait, it was sacked again in 1397 when the Genoese defeated the Venetians in a naval battle.  During the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, Pula was attacked and occupied by the Genoese, the Hungarian army and the Habsburgs.  In addition to war, the plague, malaria and typhoid ravaged the city.  By the 1750s there were only 3,000 inhabitants left.  With the collapse of the Venetian Republic in 1797 the city became part of the Habsburg Monarchy.  It was invaded again in 1805 after the French had defeated the Austrians but in 1813, Pula (with Istria) returned to the Austrian Empire.  Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Pula and the whole of Istria returned to Italy.  After the collapse of Fascist Italy in 1943, the city was occupied by the Germans and used as a submarine base.  Consequently, the city was subjected to repeated Allied bombing from 1942 to 1944.  Fortunately no one person suffered through all that history, other than you if you're still reading and the school kids in Pula.

Pula Arena

A recently cleaned tower

The city is known for its 1st-century amphitheater, locally known as the Arena, the six largest surviving Roman arena in the world, and one of the best preserved, still in use today for concerts and summer film festivals.  Built on the side of a hill, the side facing the sea has three stories, while the part on the slope has just two.  Shaped as an ellipse, the axes are 132 by 105 meters, and the walls stand 32 meters high.  It could accommodate 23,000 spectators.  The field for the games, the proper arena, measures 68 by 42 meters.  The field was separated from the public by a small moat.  A series of underground passageways were built underneath the arena from which animals and fighters could be released; stores and shops were located under the raked seating.  Each of its four towers had staircases, like modern stadium ramps, and two cisterns filled with perfumed water that fed a fountain for spraying on the spectators. The amphitheater could be covered with velarii (large sails), protecting the spectators from sun or rain.  It remained in use until the 5th century.  After the fall of Rome the amphitheater began to see its stone plundered by the local populace.

An amphorae collection in the cellar of the arena

Roman Google Maps Complete with Travel Times

Arch of the Sergii

Two other notable ancient Roman structures are the 1st-century AD Arch of the Sergii and the temple of Rome and Augustus, built about the same time on the forum.  Near the arch are buildings from both the Venetian and Austrian periods. 

Roman, Austrian, and Venetian structures side by side

The Forum and Temple of Augustus

The forum, the Roman commercial and administrative center of the city, remained the main square of medieval Pula and continues to be the administrative and legislative center of the city.  The city's old quarter of narrow streets, lined with Medieval and Renaissance buildings, are still surfaced with ancient Roman paving stones.  Today beyond the Arch of the Sergii, there is a lively market.

Honey vendor

Garlic braids