Day 7
Vodnjan, the mummies, and Roman Pula
Morning
Mummies of St Blaise's Church, Vodnjan
Thirty-five minutes' drive. Behind the high altar of the largest church in Istria are kept the unembalmed bodies of several saints, preserved intact without treatment, along with a collection of several hundred relics assembled in the 19th century. Paid visit, lighting on a timer.
Pula Arena
Built in the 1st century under Vespasian, it is one of the six largest surviving Roman amphitheaters, and the only one to keep its four side towers. It could hold more than twenty thousand spectators; its underground passages house an exhibition on ancient winemaking, and the arena is still used as a concert venue in summer. Information on
Zerostrasse and underground tunnels
Beneath Kaštel hill, a network of tunnels dug by Austria-Hungary during the First World War to shelter the population and the munitions of the empire's largest naval port. Four entrances, a constant cool temperature, and an exhibition on Pula as a fortress town.
Afternoon
Kaštel and the Historical Museum of Istria
The Venetian fortress with four bastions, built in the 17th century on the town's high point to plans by a French military engineer. It houses the Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria, and its terrace gives the best panorama over the harbor and the arena. Information on
Arch of the Sergii and Twin Gate
The arch, raised around 27 BC by the Sergii family, marked one of the gates in the Roman walls; today it opens onto Sergijevaca Street. The Twin Gate, with its two arches, gave access to the temple quarter and leads to the Archaeological Museum.
Forum and Temple of Augustus
The ancient forum has remained the town's main square. The Temple of Augustus, from the beginning of the Common Era, stands there almost intact: destroyed by a bomb in 1944, it was rebuilt stone by stone and serves as a lapidarium.
Chapel of St Mary Formosa
The only standing remnant of a great Byzantine basilica of the 6th century, a side chapel preserved with its Ravenna-style capitals. Its mosaics have been dispersed, and some can be seen in Venice.
Good to know
Pula Arena: open in summer from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM, last entry 5:30 PM, ticket sales end one hour before closing. Tickets online or at the entrance, buying online recommended to avoid the line. The site may close for concerts and festivals: check on arenapula.hr before you come. Price to be confirmed. Free audio guide via QR code, photos allowed everywhere. Kaštel: Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria, ppmi.hr. Vodnjan: St Blaise's Church is a place of worship, shoulders and legs covered, no hats. Times and price for the mummies visit to be confirmed on vodnjandignano.com.
