Day 5, May 28th, 2008. Pula, Croatia.

A day full of brilliant-sunshine in Pula. Not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day to see the Arena. One of only 4 still in existence in the world, this colosseum (known locally as The Arena) is the only remaining one in Istra and was built by the Emperors Claudius and Augustus. We spent time on an audio tour taking many pictures and viewing the relics in the underground level where the beasts used to be kept. An architectural marvel, this Arena could hold hundreds of Romans at a time. We tried to imagine the mezzanine level of seats above where our tour took us as well as the narrow pathway running alongside the main performance space. Remarkably preserved, this structure is an icon of the city and can easily allow one to imagine what the Arena must have looked like at its peak period of usage. The Arena, a scene of many gladiator battles, was nearly destroyed or dismantled a couple of times but has been saved these hundreds of years. One of its main benefactors was a Venetian Senator whose efforts at saving the Arena have been memorialized on a stone tablet by one of the side entrances.

This city is covered with Roman ruins. There are probably a lot more that have not yet been discovered. We walked towards the center of town and saw the Arch of Sergius which preceded a café-lined, narrow, pedestrian only street that served as the center of our afternoon. Along this street Sergelenijca (?) we stopped and had a drink at a café near the Arch which was the original spot of a favorite haunt of James Joyce. Joyce lived there from 1914-1915. Sergelenijca led us to the Old Town Hall and the Temple of Augustus which were side by side in a main square. The Temple of Augustus was relatively small and kind of shabby looking. The structure itself had suffered through some fairly serious bombing in the 2nd World War and was showing some wear and tear. Tours of this temple could be had for 20 kuna but I felt like I had seen it all from the outside. We walked down Sergelenijca until the end and then after consulting a map decided to find the Roman Floor Mosaic. Eventually, after much dogged searching, we found the Mosaic, left intact and preserved in a very out of the way location off the street. It’s preservation was remarkable and you could distinctly see the scene depicted (with the help of Lonely Planet tourbook, of course). A cousin was being punished for the attempted murder of a relative and the story played itself out on multiple panels. Seeing a live Roman ruin hidden beneath the city was very exciting.

The Archaeological museum was next and it lay up on a hill overlooking Sergelenijca street. In a building formerly used as an Austrian private school, this museum houses a treasure of Roman and Neolithic/pre-historical artifacts. The Roman tablets and other commemorative items from cemeteries and temples were too many to count and were displayed both inside the museum and populating its outside garden. The museum lacked a lot in presentation (and probably funding) but the artifacts were so precious that it didn’t really matter. The cases and signage accompanying the exhibits seemed to have gone unchanged and un-updated since the 1960’s. Mostly devoid of people, this museum felt like an unrecognized local treasure ignored by locals and also, for the most part, tourists. There was a Roman amphitheater on the grounds of the museum, behind the main building and it too was breath-taking. The views of Pula from the top were spectacular and panoramic. The Arena was clearly visible from such a high vantage point and it was also awe-inspiring. The seats of this theater had slowly aged but the ones closest to the stage remained. By looking at what was left of the theater one could imagine where the Romans entered the theater, where they sat and perhaps even how many spectators. But your imagination was all you had when visiting this theater as there were no tour guides, signage or other brochures to educate the musemgoer unlike the self-guided tours at The Arena. Throughout Pula there are Roman ruins of varying significance and it is amazing that the inhabitants of this city live on top of and amongst them having grown accustomed to their presence.

Our dinner was back on Sergelenijca street after we freshened up at the hotel. A restaurant we had passed a few times before, Barbara looked nice and cozy from the street. Not very busy at dinner, the restaurant was a little lacking in wine and the appetizers we were served. The entrees, however, (sea bass on the bone and a local meat specialty) didn’t disappoint. We stopped at a café in the main square nearby and had a glass of local Istrian wine in the glow of the Old Town Hall and the Temple of Augustus afterwards. On the way back to the room we stopped at another café down the street for a beer (Lasko). This was the same café where the Hotel Scaletta employee who was waiting for us on the Tuesday Night of our arrival had been sitting when we arrived from the Pula Airport.

The Arena is a brilliant piece of history of which I personally have never seen before. It is an experience I will never forget. It’s amazing to me that people here in this city on the Adriatic are living amongst all of this great history. The history itself helps to make the Croats who they are today and informs their sense of national pride.