In the city of Pula, on the tip of Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula

 "We write our names in the sand, and then the waves roll in and wash them away." -- Augustus, the first Roman emperor

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(in western Croatia, at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula) Pula, the major port and industrial center at the head of the Bay of Pula, has a large, almost landlocked harbor in which there is a naval base and the Uljanik shipyards. Conquered by Rome in the 2nd century BCE, Pula was then the seat of a Christian bishop, In in later centuries it was part of the territories of Byzantium, of the Franks, and of Venice. In 1380 the Genoese exacted revenge raids on Pula, after which it declined in importance until the 19th century. Plagues reduced the population to just a few hundred in the 1630s. Austria took the town in 1797; after 1866 it became the main harbor and arsenal of the Austro-Hungarian navy. It passed to Italy in 1920, and after 1947, became part of Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia).

+ A wealth of Roman architecture is still found in Pula. The modern city's most outstanding monument is the remarkably well-preserved Roman amphitheater, in the heart of the city, which doubles as a venue for summer concerts and festivals. One of the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the world, it was completed around the year 80 CE, and seats up to 23,000 people.) A temple of Augustus and a Byzantine basilica were extensively restored after the destructive conflict between Genoa and Venice. The Kaštel, on the hill at the centre of the Old Town, is a museum that was once a fortress.

+ Historical attractions aside, Pula is a busy commercial city on the sea that has managed to retain a friendly small-town appeal. Just a short bus ride away, a series of beaches awaits at the resorts that occupy the Verudela Peninsula to the south. The coast is dotted with fragrant pine groves, seaside cafes, and several good restaurants. Pula is also a great base for exploring the protected Cape Kamenjak nature park, to the south, and the Brijuni Islands National Park, to the north.

+ The area's largest city, Pula is located below seven hills and with views of the Adriatic, its unspoiled natural surroundings are magical. Known for its mild climate and tame, beautiful sea, the city also has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing, and shipbuilding. Two other notable and well-preserved 1st-century CE Roman structures are the triumphal arch (the Arch of the Sergii), and the Temple of Augustus, built on the forum during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus. The city's old quarter of narrow streets, lined with Medieval and Renaissance buildings, are still surfaced with ancient Roman paving stones.

+ The star-shaped castle with four bastions (in the center of this photo) is on top of the central hill of the old city. It was built, over the remains of the Roman capitolium, by the Venetians in the 17th century, following the plans of the French military architect Antoine de Ville. (Since 1961 it has housed the Historical Museum of Istria).