Croatia 2013

On the 4th day of our Istria Easter holiday we went to Pula which is 40 minutes drive from Porec, on the way we made stop in the cities Vodnjan and Bale.

The city of Vodnjan is not that interesting, most street reminded me of the cities in the north eastern part of Croatia, according to our information the city church is home of some mummies which is the main tourist attraction.

Our photos from Vodnjan

The city of Bale is a nice little town made of stone houses, which gives the city a historical atmosphere.

Our photos from Bale

As we finally arrived in Pula we manage to find the main tourist attraction, the roman amphitheater “Arena” quit easily, the theater was build more than 2000 years ago for gladiator fights, and it today, besides a tourist attraction also used for cultural event like the International film festival in Pula.

After have a walk around the impressive building we decided to pay the 40 kuna entrance fee to see the Arena from the inside. Our girls was quite existed to see if there was still lions here, and especially when we entered the exhibition in the basement, Ida our smallest daughter was not 100% comfortable. But after I convinced them that the lions were long gone, they found it very interesting to see all the historical objects in the basement.

After finishing our visit at the Arena, we took the car to the centre of town, where we had a walk on the main street, starting from the forum (with temple of Rome and Augustus) through Sergei’s Arch until the outside market (Which i can recommend from prior visits). Pula as the largest city in Istria is also the main city for shopping, not only in the large supermarkets but especially in the city where you can find the most common brands. After finishing our walk we headed back to Pula to prepare for our evening dinner at Bebo’s place.

What you can / should see:

• The roman Amphitheatre – Arena
• Sergei’s Arch – the old city gate.
• Several Churches and the Cathedral of Assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary
• Istrian historical museum, which is situated in old fortress at the top of a hill in the centre.

Where to stay:

I personally have always avoided staying in Pula, not because Pula does not have a good offer of private accommodation and Hotels, but mainly because there is much cheaper accommodation in Medulin which is only 10 from Pula. If you prefer a camp site there is a perfect camp in Fazana – the camp Bivillage.

Our photos from Pula

In the evening we went to have our “test” dinner at restaurant Borgonja (Bebo’s place), Bebo had prepared to menus which we could use for our groups.

The food was excellent especially the dessert, the homemade Fritule, which is balls made of a dough similar to the one you use for pancakes, served with Powdered sugar was irresistible, for the food Bebo served his homemade red wine, which is the best I had in Croatia until now, so I asked Bebo if I could by a couple of litres, two minutes later I had 5 litre bottle in front of me!!!

After 3 nice hours at the restaurant it was time to head back for Porec, so I asked Bebo for the bill, he said that price was 0 kuna, even when I tried to insist on paying he refused to accept it, as he said, maybe you will bring group this summer then I will be happy, if not it is also ok as you are one of Carlo’s friends, that is what I call hospitality!!

As I do not know if I will have any groups this summer, the least I can do is to recommend Bebo place to all of our readers, so if you should be in Istria this summer please go an have lunch or dinner at bebo’s place, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

The address you have here:

• Taverna Borgonja
• Istarska 10
• 52463 Višnjan

PS: if anyone can recommend me a better red wine then the one Bebo makes, dinner is on me.

Here a few photos from Višnjan and the restaurant

Read about Porec here

Read about Novigrad and Umag here

Read about Vrsar and Rovinj here

Vacation rentals in Croatia!

Related posts:

1. Histria Festival Pula
2. Rovinj and Vrsar
3. Porec
4. Elton John in Pula
5. Novigrad and Umag