Sunday, October 14
We started the day rather early. We wanted to get to some of the town’s most interesting sights before the sun was too high in the sky so we could get some high quality pictures. Our first destination was the Triumphal Arch of the Sergii.
The arch is a short walk from our apartment and we arrived around 7:30 am. Sunrise had occurred just a few minutes before so the light was soft and even. At that hour no one was out and about so we were able to get photos without any other people in them. For a major tourist site that is quite a luxury. A few quick snaps of the shutter and we were off to find the Small Roman Amphitheater.
We arrived at the theater just about 10 minutes later but were saddened to see a group of young men sitting on the seats. They appeared to be drinking beer and were watching videos on their phones. We suspected that they had been up night. The light was still good so we took some more pictures. It took some creativity but we managed to get a few without them. In retrospect, Tuesday morning might have been a better time to try this.
Our next destination was the Pula Amphitheater. By now the sun was rising and the light began to shine directly on the Eastern Walls. We had to move quickly. We practically ran around the entire site snapping pictures as we went along. We probably got some good shots but we haven’t had time to look at them yet. We’ve been very busy.
(View of the Harbor Through the Theater)
We planned to visit the amphitheater but since we had almost an hour before it opened we decided to get coffee at one of the cafes on the hill overlooking the harbor and the theater. It’s a really lovely way to kill some time.
At 9:00 am we paid for our coffee and headed over to the entrance of the theater. Admission was 50 KN / $7.75 per person. For a few dollars extra we could have gotten an audio tour but we decided against that.
The amphitheater in Pula is the sixth largest Roman amphitheater in the world. When it was built it could seat 20,000 people. The site was used mainly for gladiatorial games. Today a large portion of the theater has been restored and is used for concerts and events like the Pula Film Festival.
(Seating Area)
We had been given a guide that gave information about various spots along the way but we wondered how the theater would have looked in its day. From what we could see it was unclear as to whether there had been two or three levels of seating. The present configuration has a central stage with one level of seating. Originally the theater had seating all around the perimeter but today it is only on a 180 degree arc.
We explored the entire site. At one point we sat in the seats and took in the view. Between the arches you can plainly see boats coming in and out of the harbor. Our tickets also included access to the subterranean passages where animals had been kept and elevators carried people and animals to/from the arena floor. The area held an exhibit on olive oil production showing how Istria had been an important producer even in ancient times.
(Happy Travelers)
Our way out went through the gift shop. We leafed through a few books and finally found a representation of how the theater would have looked in ancient times. It had (and has) three levels of arches and had two levels of seating all around the perimeter. The book suggested that there was also a movable awning to provide shade for the spectators.
Our plan for the day had included a trip to the Archeological Museum but we’d seen some notes on Google that indicated that it had been closed for renovations in 2012. We hadn’t seen any indication that it had reopened. We asked at the arena ticket office and found out that it would be closed for at least another two years.
Undaunted we headed over to Gallery C8. It’s a small space near the museum that has constantly rotating exhibits. We saw an exhibition about how the ancient city of Troy was discovered and saw a short film showing the site. It wasn’t really too interesting but entry was free.
As we headed back home we passed the House of Istrian Olive Oil, which bills itself as the Museum of Olive Oil. We went inside and found a shop with a variety of regional oils, wines and truffles at extremely inflated prices. The clerk came over and explained to us that we could but a ticket to the museum for some ridiculous amount of money (we can’t remember how much it was) and, once inside, that there were several types of tastings that we could participate in for an even more ridiculous amount of money. Can you say “Tourist Trap”?
We continued walking through the district when we noticed that services at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has just ended. We took our opportunity to see inside. It’s a large Romanesque style church with huge stone columns and a rafted wooden ceiling. Over by the altar we found some floor mosaics from the 15th century and a 3rd Century Roman sarcophagus containing relics from a number of saints. We were just about finished taking photos when the lights started turning off. We were fortunate to have seen the church at all.
By now it was 11:30 am. We wanted to have some lunch before we went home but the restaurant we intended to go to, one that had been recommended by our “olive oil friends”, opened at 1:00 pm so we walked over to the forum and sat at one of the many restaurants there.
Normally we’re reluctant to order Italian food outside of Italy (we’ve had some really bad experiences) but we figured it was safe to do so here. Deborah ordered a bowl of tomato soup and I ordered some spaghetti bolognese. Deborah liked the soup but the bolognese came in a watery sauce that had a funny smell. There was no pork or veal in the meat, only beef and there was absolutely no cheese. It was very disappointing.
When the bill came it was a lot more than we expected. First the bottle of water we ordered had cost more than the soup. Secondly, there was an outrageous cover charge. The final straw was that they didn’t accept credit cards. Normally we would look up a restaurant’s rating before eating there but we figured most anyplace in the forum had to be decent. We were wrong. When we got home we saw that the restaurant, called Nonno (that should have been a hint), had been severely panned by all reviewers. It had the lowest rating possible. Live and learn.
Distance walked: 5.5 miles