In the port town of Pula, in Istria, is part of Croatia and Slovenia

 “There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

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(in Istria, the triangular peninsula that is part of Croatia and Slovenia) Istria, extending into the northeastern Adriatic Sea between the Gulf of Venice (west) and the Gulf of Kvarner (east), has an area of 1,220 square miles (3,160 square km). The northern portion is part of Slovenia, while the central and southern parts belong to Croatia. (A tiny strip of coast at its northwestern base is the site of Trieste and belongs to Italy.)

+ Istria’s much indented shoreline exhibits many valleys. The west coast has lots of small offshore island groups, the most notable being Brioni (Brijuni). The northeast section consists of the mountains of the Dinaric Alps, with a maximum elevation of 1,401 meters at Mount Učka. The population of Istria engages mostly in agriculture. Salt is obtained from seawater at Piran and Portorož in Slovenia. Raša, in Croatia, is an important site for the mining of high-quality anthracite coal. Istria’s most important town and harbor is Pula. (Opatija and Brioni are the best known seaside resorts.)
+ Istria derived its name from the ancient Illyrian tribe of the Histri and was subdued by Rome in 177 BCE after two wars. Under the emperor Augustus most of the peninsula became part of Italy. Slavic peoples began settling here in the 7th century CE. It was under the control of diverse Mediterranean powers until 1797, when the peninsula came under the rule of Austria, which developed Trieste as a port. After World War I, Italy seized the peninsula from Austria and tried to Italianize the population. But, following Italy's defeat in World War II, Yugoslavia occupied most of Istria in 1947. The peninsula’s northwestern section, around Trieste, was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia in 1954. Istria became part of Croatia and Slovenia in 1991 when those states became independent nations. (Italian minorities remain in both the Slovene and Croatian parts.)

+ Continental Croatia meets the Adriatic in Istria, the heart-shaped peninsula in the country's northwest. The bucolic interior of rolling hills and fertile plains attracts food- and culture-focused visitors to Istria’s hilltop villages, rural hotels, and farmhouse restaurants, while the indented coastline is hugely popular with the fun-in-the-sun set. Though vast hotel complexes line much of the coast, facilities are wide-ranging, the sea is clean, and secluded spots are still plentiful.

+ Featured here is the port town of Pula, which lies at the southern tip of Istria at the head of the Bay of Pula. It has a large harbor in which there is a naval base and the Uljanik shipyards. The town’s outstanding monument is the elliptical Roman amphitheater completed about 80 CE and seating 23,000. The Kaštel, on the hill at the center of the Old Town, was once a fortress, but is now a museum.