Rovinj is a beautiful Croatian city, definitely one of the most romantic and picturesque wonders of the Mediterranean, which will enchant whoever visits it with its captivating historical center, its street atmosphere and its amazing gastronomic proposals. It is located on a peninsula with a curious heart shape, in the northwest of Istria, on the coast of Croatia.
Around it, you can see beautiful wooded hills where some hotels are located. Rovinj also has an archipelago composed of thirteen islands, which also have some amazing marine scenes. This is a very active fishing port, which is very close to Trieste, a historic Italian port, and that is why a large Italian community is concentrated here.
In its origins the Balbi Arch was built, one of the main entrances to the city, and that leads to Grisia, the main street. In the distance, from the entrance, you can glimpse the old bell tower of the cathedral, which reigns the city with its 60 meters high.
On a small peninsula, the old part of the city is located. This hull, however, was not large enough to collect the growing population of Rovinj, which increased significantly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Thanks to this, it had to take a form of architecture that today is typical and characteristic of the island: the houses are narrow and they are piled up among others, they have small alleys and squares.
In addition, during this migratory boom, many families were forced to share houses, distributing one room per family, and it is very curious to see the large number of chimneys that each house in Rovinj has, since each family had its own fireplace .
The remains of the patron saint of the city, the martyr Eufemia de Chalcedon, are housed in the famous cathedral of Santa Eufemia, an incredibly large baroque building, in which these remains were placed, in a beautiful marble tomb, to consecrate the miracles that are attributed to the patron saint.
Covered by the shadow of the cathedral, artists of all kinds meet in this city, which is full of galleries and art studios. Besides, during August, Grisia Street in particular, becomes an immense art exhibition that illuminates the streets and the faces of those who visit it.
In addition, in Rovinj there is also an important Franciscan monastery and a baroque church, which were built at the beginning of the 18th century. This incredible monastery has a library inside and an amazing museum of sacred artifacts.
Of course, in Rovinj there are also attractions for children. You can visit the Aquarium of Rovinj, in which a fascinating collection of marine life of the Adriatic is exposed of which the whole family will enjoy, Rovinj is definitely a lovely destination.
ALFA