Surrounded by ancient Roman ruins and pretty colourful back streets it is hard to believe you aren’t in the Italian capital of Rome.
But the lack of tourist hoards and exhorbitant prices give two major clues that you are instead, in Croatia, in particular the ancient Istrian city of Pula. Pula is the largest city in Istria, Croatia, and is known for its Roman ruins, particularly the magnificent Pula Arena and its beautiful coastal location. The Romans built their sixth-largest amphitheatre here. Pula became a Roman colony a century after they first arrived in 177 BC. It produced wine and olive oil, and by the time of Augustus from 63 BC ‘Pietas Iulia’ was a thriving urban centre with a forum, temples and city walls.
“Standing in the middle of this huge Roman amphitheatre, in awe of the ancient architecture I’m surrounded by, I can’t quite believe this isn’t the Colosseum itself” wrote deputy travel editor Hayley Minn in the Daily Mail.
Pula Arena, on the west coast of the country in Pula, was built between 27 BC and 68 AD and widely regarded to be one of the best-preserved Roman arenas in the world, with almost the entire circumference and all four side towers completely intact.
Despite this it remains relatively quiet even in the height of summer when Croatia is awash with tourists.
The average queue time to get into the Colosseum in Rome is one to two hours in the summer months but it is ususally the case visitors can just walk straight into the Pula Arena and have plenty of space to explore without jostling for position.
Pula is also home to the Temple of Augustus, a church-turned-museum constructed between the year 2 BC and AD 14, the Arch of the Sergii, originally a city gate built as a symbol of victory at Actium; and many city walls and mosaics.
In its day, Pula Arena could hold around 23,000 spectators ready to watch gladiatorial fights. These days it is used as a music venue and has hosted Duran Duran, Sir Elton John, Dua Lipa and Tom Jones in recent times.
Pula, also known by its Italian name as Pola, isn’t just known for its brilliantly preserved Roman ruins. The city has a long tradition of wine making, fishing, ship building and tourism.
The city lies on and beneath seven hills, just like Rome, and is situated on the inner part of a wide gulf and a naturally well-protected port.
Pula has plenty of cosy cafes, lively pubs and beachfront bars, as well as restaurants offering both traditional Istrian cuisine and international food. There is also the Pula Film Festival in July.
It is also considerably cheaper than Rome. A pint of beer in the Italian capital can cost anything between 4 and 7 euros (£3.50 to £6.00) but in Pula a pint of beer is just 3 euros (£2.50).
A cup of coffee at a café in Pula typically costs around 1.50 euros to 2 euros (£1 – £2) so again, cheaper than Rome where you can expect to pay a little more (3 euros/£2.50).
Accommodation and eating out is also cheaper than the Italian capital. One visitor to both cities on TripAdvisor wrote: “I’ve been up both many times, especially to the arena in Pula and the one in Rome is very, very crowded but that in Pula isn’t at all. Never lineups, sometimes it’s virtually empty. You can attend concerts and medieval festivals in the Pula arena.
“It is a fraction less impressive than the Colosseum in Rome BUT the location of the Pula arena is very near the sea so you get vibrant blue glimpses as you walk around it. I never tire of showing it off to visitors.”
Another added: “Definitely agree with the above. Rome overall is the better choice for sheer number of things to see (would take a few years!) but if the concerns are crowds and seeing only the arena, I’d choose Pula.”
For more information about Pula go to www.visitpula.hr