After talking so much about the Romans this year, we have to introduce to you one of the most impressive Roman artefacts around here. About 200 km south and just ‘a half a border crossing’ between Ljubljana and Pula lies perhaps the most preserved and the 6th largest Roman amphitheatre in the world.
The town of Pula is located on the tip of the Istrian peninsula, the peninsula that starts in Slovenia but soon stretches into Croatia, where the majority of Istria lies. In the summer of 2013 Croatia joined the EU, so now there is only a minor border check that works faster without all the previous customs checks.
One of the biggest mistakes many tourists make is calling the Arena (proper name of Pula’s amphitheatre) a Colosseum, which is the name for only one amphitheatre – the one in Rome, Italy.
The Arena (Pula’s amphitheatre) was built in the 1st century AD during the reign of Emperor Vespasian and was once the site of gladiator fights. Today, one can see well preserved walls with all four entering towers and, what makes it even more special, the undergrounds, where the workings of the venue’s events took place.
You can visit the Arena every day during the daytime, and in July and August it is open until midnight unless there is an event that evening. A fantastic idea, which we recommend to anyone visiting Pula, is to treat yourself to a film or, even better, a concert in the Arena. The view of the sunset over the sea through 2 millennia old columns and arches with your favorite artist performing… priceless.
