RACHEL + SANGHEE

Live, love and travel

Pula: Around town

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A very pleasant surprise.

I’ve never been to Croatia. Gasp. I loved Game of Thrones (until the last season), love traveling, love the seaside but I’ve never been. So when we found some very affordable tickets to Pula, which is located on the southern tip of the Istria region of the country, we booked.

And of course, I did some research. Surprisingly, Pula used to be a part of Italy, and the two official languages are in fact Croatian and Italian. Handy. It’s not the biggest city in Croatia and I have to say, not as famous and popular compared to the other cities like Split, Dubrovnik and Zagreb, but after a long weekend, I would go again and recommend it. Here’s why.

As I mentioned, it’s an interesting mix of Croatia and Italy. Sure, everything is in Croatian but it’s also in Italian, from the road signs, menus and even the spoken language. Everyone speaks Italian and they actually learn Italian in school as a second language. The food is simple but classic European: pizza, salads, grilled meat, seafood and most importantly, wine.

The Pula Arena is one of the highlights of the city and is the only amphitheater in the world where the circle is intact. We didn’t go in because there were too many people and also because they were holding a film festival, but it’s breathtaking.

It’s not as big as the famous Colosseum in Rome and also doesn’t have that much levels and layers, so you can actually see the insides without having to go in. They do hold various events and concerts inside the arena and can you even imagine how amazing that would be?

From Pula, you can reach various cities and destinations, depending on what you are looking for. We were really into boat excursions, which means you take a boat in the morning or noon, sail around the neighboring islands, stop at one or more beaches, swim and then come back to the city. The prices usually include drinks and lunch, but of course, these depend on the operators. So we almost booked one, but on the day we were to go, the weather was so cloudy and windy, we just didn’t want to risk getting sick and bored on the boat with a three-year-old.

So we opted for a tour around the Brijuni National Park, which is a 15 minute boat ride from a town called Fažana. The port town Fažana is a jewel all on its own, but it did seem a bit more crowded than other places, especially the beaches. But I have to say, when it comes to infrastructure, the beaches here in the Pula area are superb. There’s everything you need: food trucks, cafes, bars, restaurants, fresh water to clean yourself up from the seawater, changing stalls, camping grounds right in front of the beach, dog beaches, smaller “villas” next to the beach, benches and even a massage area. What.

The Brijuni Islands are a group of 14 small islands and are mostly known as a holiday resort destination and a national park. Interestingly enough there are some ancient Roman settlements that you can easily find within the park while Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito made the islands his personal summer residence.

I’ve never found so much history and twists and turns regarding a groups of islands, it was really interesting. From the look of the settlements, Romans were evidently present, and then they belonged to Venice from the Middle Ages (stones were sent from the islands to Venice to build palaces and bridges in the city), then they were a part of the Illyrian Provinces after Napoleon’s annexation. Then they became part of the Austrian Empire, which later became Austria-Hungary, and after WW1, it was a part of Italy and after WW2 it became a part of Yugoslavia (where Tito’s role comes into play). In 1991, Croatia gained independence and has been since then. Whew, quite the history.

If you reach Fažana, you’ll find tour operators offering boat trips “around” the islands. Note that it’s only around them, so you don’t really get to set food on any of them. The National park is run by the government, so only the official tour is allowed to bring travelers on the islands. The official tour includes the boat ride to the largest island called Veliki Brijun, a mini train tour around the island and a short walking tour around the area as well. We went for this one and I would recommend it too. The train ride is such a treat and the tours are in English, Italian and German. You stop by the safari park where you can find goats, zebras, elephants, and horses. The beaches here are breathtaking and so empty it felt like a private beach. If we had known, we would have even spent the entire day here at the beaches, or even stay at one of the resorts.

Another day we headed to Rovinj, which is a 40-45 minute bus ride from Pula. This little town was amazing. Very picturesque with beautiful and crystal clear beaches (quite a common thing here, apparently) and a cathedral on top of a hill. Getting to the cathedral isn’t too tough, but if you do have a stroller, you’ll have to basically carry it up the whole way, or take a bit of a longer route around it.

The cathedral is nice, and the views are so calming and peaceful. There was a Cafe Bar XL right below the cathedral, but you can definitely skip it. I read from many travel websites, including quite respectable ones from major news networks, that it’s a hidden gem and it’s beautiful, but nope. Just save your Croatian kunas and move along.

You will find random beaches (and numerous bars and cafes) on the road back to the touristy area, and yes, G couldn’t stop himself and jumped in for a short swim. I was tempted, but didn’t because walking around in wet clothes didn’t seem too appealing. But if you do have more time, I would suggest coming to Rovinj with your swimwear and gear and just spend an entire afternoon. So good.

The food in Pula, or the Istrian region, is interesting. With a very complicated and rich history of Italian, Venetian, Austrian and Hungarian influences, there are various dishes and ingredients that resemble some familiar dishes but with added flair.

There’s Istrian pršut, which is dried ham, similar to the Italian prosciutto. The Istrian region is also quite popular for its wine, so it’s easy to find the ham with an assortment of various cheeses like an appetizer. Also famous is black and white truffles and you can find them in everything, such as cheese, as a pasta sauce, as a pizza topping and more.

The Cevapici is a minced meat sausage, and also quite common around the country. You can enjoy them grilled with some bread or peta, along with raw onions and a spicy red paste called ajvar. We tried the barbeque at a local favorite Kod Kadre, which was recommended by several people, including our Airbnb host and also many Uber drivers. It was nice to experience the local bbq, but I wouldn’t go again, to be honest.

For the wine, we went for a winery tour at Trapan and it was very nice. The wines themselves were not our favorite, but the tasting itself was fun, informative and affordable.

A five wine tasting, including water and a very large portion of cheese, ham, bread and olives, costed us around 20 euros per person, which is ridiculously cheap. And the host was so nice and charming, I would very much recommend the experience.

The final meal, I believe, was at a place called Alla Beccaccia. It was both a restaurant and a rentable villa/bed and breakfast and it was amazing. Secluded from the city, it was like we rented out the entire estate: so quiet, peaceful, beautiful views, excellent food and service.

Their specialty is actually a dish called the woodcock which is their speciality and unfortunately, you need to order it beforehand. The owner hunts for the birds himself, so he needs time to hunt and prepare it.

All in all, Pula was amazing: the history, the beaches, the food. Not so big but enough for a long weekend with friends or family. Now I would love to go to different cities in Croatia.

Some tips: We didn’t rent a car because we heard that taxis were everywhere and in fact, we had no problem finding an Uber. We also took a bus to Rovinj which was not a hassle nor problem. But if you do want to have the freedom to go a bit further to different places (Motovun and Grožnjan was also on my list but we didn’t have time), renting a car would make sense. Most of the people speak English, Italian and Croatian and are super friendly.

One interesting thing was that most of the cafes didn’t sell any pastries etc so if you want to have a simple breakfast, you buy pastries from a bakery and bring them to the cafe to enjoy with coffee. They don’t mind you eating them at their cafes. Oh and bakeries are everywhere.

Restaurants

  • Trapan winery: Again, the wine wasn’t our favorite and we were sad we didn’t make it to a different winery due to time, but we would recommend. So friendly, great service, affordable and just overall pleasant.
  • Kod Kadre
  • Alla Beccaccia
  • Pizzeria Jupiter: We had the biggest truffle pizza in the world (not official, and I had had a lot of wine…). It was big. The Italian didn’t like it because it wasn’t Italian style, but I liked it. It’s very American strangely enough; flat, thin dough with a LOT of cheese and a sprinkle of truffle oil. Again, it was really big. The restaurant is huge, with several levels, corners and very maze-like, and they serve not only pizza but other traditional dishes as well. Casual, but can still make it into a date night, I think. It’s one of the first places I found on instagram, so pretty trendy and popular.

All photos by rachelsanghee. July, 2019.