In the city of Pula, at the southern tip of Istria, in western Croatia

 "Sitting in the morning sun

I'll be sitting when the evening comes
Watching the ships roll in
Then I watch them roll away again,
I'm sittig' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away,
I'm just sitting on the dock of the bay...."
-- lines from (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay,
a (1968) song by Otis Redding
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(in western Croatia at the southern tip of Istria, at the head of the Bay of Pula) The city of Pula, a major port and industrial center, has a large, nearly landlocked harbor in which there is a naval base and the Uljanik shipyards. Conquered by Rome in the 2nd century BCE, Pula by the 2nd century CE was the seat of a Christian bishop, and 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. For some 400 years Pula declined in importance, until the 19th century. Plagues reduced the population to only hundreds 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 (which was then part of Yugoslavia).

+ From having controlled the Adriatic, from the southern end of the Istrian Peninsula, Pula has been a strategic prize for a host of power players, going back to the Romans. This city with its natural harbor was developed in Augustan times, and its breathtaking amphitheater, temples, and a collection of arches have somehow survived for 2,000 years.

+ Later, the Venetians made it part of their Adriatic defences, enriching the city with yet more military heritage. But it was the Austro-Hungarian empire that chose this harbor for their imperial maritime arsenal in the 1800s. What remains today, is a city that is filled with majestic old buildings, in a stunning hillside location surrounded by natural parks.

+ The star of the show is still the remarkably well-preserved amphitheater in the heart of the city, which doubles as a venue for summer concerts and festivals. The elliptical amphitheater, completed around 80 CE, seated some 23,000. 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 center of the Old Town, is a museum that was previously a fortress. Other highlights of the city are the Roman amphitheater, Triumphal Arch, Augustus Temple, Pula Sea Cave, and Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary (built between the 4th and 5th centuries). There are several beach resorts with popular activities such as fishing, kayaking to sea caves, boating, and dolphin watching.

+ Pula is linked to Trieste (in Italy) and Ljubljana (in Slovenia) by road and rail.
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*The Venetian–Genoese Wars were a series of struggles between the Republic of Genoa and the Republic of Venice, at times allied with other powers, for dominance in the Mediterranean Sea between 1256 and 1381.