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ROMAN TRACES II |
booking
request |
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LOCATION: Pula |
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DURATION: up to 2½ hrs |
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SIGHTSEEING TOUR AVAILABLE:
all year round |
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SIGHTS: Amphitheater –
built in the first Century AD
during the rule of Emperor
Vespasian; used for gladiator
fights; the Amphitheater could
once hold up to 23,000
spectators arriving from all
around the Istrian peninsula.
Entrance fee for the
Amphitheater – 20 kn per person
(~2, 75 Euro).
Twin Gates – constructed
in the second Century AD; led up
the hill and to the Small Roman
Theater; the road that led to
the Amphitheater merged into the
so called Via Tarsatica, the
road that leads straight to
Rijeka.
Small Roman Theater –
Market – one of the most
beautiful European green
markets, hidden among the shades
of the wild chestnuts; iron and
glass were used as the newest
building material for the first
time in Pula in the early 20th
Century; also called the kid
sister of the Budapest market
place
Triumphal Arch of Sergi
(Golden Gates) – used to
decorate one of the main town
entrances; dedicated to the
Roman family Sergi; the Golden
Gate was erected by Salvia
Sergi.
The statue in memory of James
Joyce – from October 1904
till March 1905, James Joyce and
his wife Nora Barnacle lived in
Pula. Joyce was teaching English
to Austro – Hungarian army
officers at the so called
Berlitz School. Café ‘Ulix’
decorated in the liberty style
was the place where Joyce
enjoyed spending his time the
most.
Castle (Kaštel) - the
Medieval Kaštel was built in the
17th Century, when Istria was
under direct rule of Venice;
made out of big slabs of stones,
originally forming the Large
Roman Theater located on the
slopes of the hill Montezaro,
Kaštel was built with the
purpose of defending the city
from the frequent pirate
attacks; designed by the French
architect Antoine de Ville.
The church of St. Francis
– dates from the 13th Century;
designed by Jakov from Pula, the
construction partly sponsored by
the Castropola family.
Town Square (Forum) – the
nucleus of city life in both
ancient and modern times; the
administrative and legislative
center of the town and the place
where the Temple of Augustus
built in the first Century BC is
located, one of the rare fully
preserved Roman temples on the
Adriatic coast.
The Temple of Augustus –
built in the fist Century BC;
dedicated to goddess Roma and
Emperor Augustus; nowadays it
houses a collection of ancient
stone and bronze sculptures
The Shipyard ‘Uljanik’ –
former Austro – Hungarian
arsenal in which warships for
their navy were constructed, the
cornerstone was first laid in
1856.
Cathedral – a
Paleo-Christian church, former
residence of the bishops of
Pula; Chapel of St. Thomas was
located next to the Cathedral,
St. Thomas is the patron saint
of Pula and St. Thomas’ Day is
celebrated annually in the
beginning of July. |
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PROGRAM:
Owing to the geographical
position of the bay, fresh water
wells and optimum balance
between hilly areas and plains,
Pula has been an ideal place to
stay ever since the ancient
Histrionic times. But the
founding of the town itself has
long been the subject of
numerous legends. The most
famous is the legend of Jason
and Argonauts who stole the
Golden Fleece from the
Colchidians. The old town centre
houses numerous classical
monuments. The Roman period was
one of the most glorious periods
in the history of Pula when the
town had almost 5,000
inhabitants. As a Roman colony,
Pula was at the time called
Colonia Juia Pola Pollentia
Herculanea. We will start the
sightseeing tour in front of the
Amphitheater, the central
classical Roman monument built
in the first Century AD. The
construction of the Amphitheater
was completed by the Roman
emperor Titus Flavius Vespasian
who allegedly had a mistress
that was born in Pula. So
according to the legend, Ms.
Antonia Coenide is the reason
that Pula got the Amphitheater
in the first place. Pula again
flourishes during the reign of
the Austrian Empire, when it
becomes Austria’s main naval
base with the arsenal for the
Austro – Hungarian navy. That is
how a ‘dead town’ (which is how
the Austrians used to call Pula
after the fall of Venice) rises
into a 19th Century
mitteleuropean town with a
cosmopolitan mentality. Today
Pula has about 60,000
inhabitants and is the biggest
and the most prominent town in
Istria.
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