When I began writing this entry, we had two weeks left of our time in Croatia. Now we only have a week! We realize there are many parts of Croatia that we haven’t seen; and they are all worth our time, or anyone’s time. But…we’re tired and know we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the history and beauty of these sites and cities. The trips would involve too many hours in the car and we just don’t feel inspired to complete any more long road trips. Living in Pula on the Istrian peninsula means driving further to get to the rest of Croatia and the first two hours of these trips involve one lane highways due to construction. Those first two hours should only take 45 minutes! So, we’re staying in Pula and visiting more historic sites here and getting in some beach time. Oh, and Steve is still working! He’s proof reading the galley pages for the next edition of one of his books.
For those who are interested, the tourist regions of Croatia are generally divided into: Istria with Pula and Brijuni Islands and Pazin and Poreč; Kvarner with Rijeka and Opatija and several islands like Pag and Krk; Lika - Karlovac with Gospić and Karlovac and Plitvice Lakes National Park; Dalmatia with Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Hvar Island, many other islands, and the Krka Waterfalls National Park; Central Croatia with Zagreb and other locations; and Slavonia with several cities also. It would have been nice to see more of the Dalmatia and Slavonia regions but time, energy and other personal resources were getting low!!! And don’t forget the islands of Croatia. I think the tourist books for Croatia should include a separate entry for the islands of Croatia – 1,244 of them! Many of these islands have lighthouses on them with units to rent. Now that would be a unique vacation!
Meanwhile, staying in Pula we visited some sites new to us and returned to some favorite places too.
Naval Cemetery. The Naval Cemetery, dating from 1866, is the site where 150,000 soldiers from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (until 1918) were buried. This cemetery holds the remains of soldiers from before World War I through World War II and even those who died after World War II. We saw several monuments that marked the burial site for women in this cemetery too. And many have photos attached to the monuments that I found fascinating...
Tunnels/Underground Shelters in Pula. One short section of the extensive tunnel system opens in mid-June every year. Construction of the tunnels began just prior to World War I and was completed during the war. After the Great War, the Italian rulers expanded the network. The tunnels and shelters were dug under all the hills in the inner city. Rooms were built for ammunition storage and storage of other military equipment, men’s quarters, and a prison to hold captured soldiers. After World War II, the tunnels were designated as shelters for the civilian population and as emergency hospitals. Pula’s tunnels and underground shelters can hold 50,000 people!
Church and Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi. This monastic complex was built in the 14th century at the site of a previous cultic edifice. The Franciscan community was first recorded in Pula in the 13th century. The church was built in 1314 in the late Romanesque style with Gothic ornaments, as a firm and simple building of the preaching Franciscan order. The columns on the first floor of the cloister are identical but each column on the second story is a different shape.
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is usually referred to as “the Cathedral” and was built at the site where Christians gathered in the time of their persecution (until the 4th century). Inside the church you can still see fragments of the floor mosaic from the 5th – 6th centuries with memorial inscriptions of worshippers who paid for the decoration. From the notes I read about this church, I think it was destroyed three different times, once by fire, and always rebuilt!
Communal Palace. This was the seat of the municipal government since Roman rule and is located in what was once the Forum. During Venetian rule it was the seat of the duke. Municipal government offices are once again located in this building. The building includes several architectural styles: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque.
Chapel of St. Maria Formosa. It is one of the two chapels built in the 6th century as part of a large Benedictine abbey demolished in the 16th century. The floor and walls were decorated with mosaics, some of which are now in the Archaeological Museum of Istria. (Remember those photos of mosaics I took awhile ago when in the Museum?)
Floor Mosaic, The Punishment of Dirce. I tried to find this but gave up – it got too hot! But it’s an interesting story, and here it is: “After the bombing of World War II remains of Roman houses with mosaics were found under the block of houses around the Chapel of St. Maria Formosa. The most impressive one is surely the floor mosaic with the central field presenting the mythological scene of the “Punishment of Dirce” (Amphion and Zethus are tying Dirce to an enraged bull, since out of envy Dirce had been cruel to their mother, Antiope.) This figural scene presents the central field of a large floor mosaic composition (12 m x 6 m). The entire mosaic composition is divided into two equal sections with altogether 40 decorated areas dominated by geometrical patterns with animal details (fish and bird). The mosaic covered the floor of a central room of a Roman house, probably from the 3rd century. It has been preserved at the site where it was found, so that the level of house floors in the Roman times, which is 2 m below today’s level, is clearly visible.”
For more photos go to:
And now I’m off to the beach. Only a few days left to enjoy the beautiful, blue, crystal clear Adriatic Sea.
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