Croatia - Eastern Europe - page 173

Trg Matteotti 3. & 052/811-334. Entrees 35kn-100kn ($6-$17/£3.20-£9.15). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 8am-3pm and
6pm-midnight.
Inexpensive
Stella di Mare PIZZERIA/SPAGHETTERIA This laid-back restaurant
is so close to the water that sea spray occasionally mists over outdoor tables when
waves hit the rocky shoreline. Views of old Rovinj, boats in the harbor, gulls catching
dinner, and the roiling sea are incomparable from the restaurant's blue-and-white
umbrella tables. A few seafood dishes complement the pizza and pasta offerings. For
a local treat, try koki sa jajem pizza, a crispy crust topped with cheese, tomato, pro-
sciutto, and an egg (added raw but baked into the mix).
Croche 4. & 091/528-88-83. Pizzas 28kn-45kn ($4.85-$7.75/£2.55-£4.10); pasta from 35kn ($6/£3.20). AE, DC,
MC, V. Daily 8am-midnight.

Value

EXPLORING ROVINJ
Rovinj is a browser's paradise, with lots of places to explore on its narrow, winding
streets. Rovinj is also an aesthetic gem, and its beauty is readily apparent from a dis-
tance and close up. Most sites worth exploring are in the Old Town, plus places far-
ther afield like Zlatni Rt-Punta Corrente Nature Park , a densely forested park
just steps from the Hotel Park. Zlatni Rt is rimmed with rocky beaches and full of
hiking paths. Limska Draga Fjord is a flooded karstic canyon less than 16km
(10 miles) north of Rovinj. It looks like a ribbon of clear blue-green water framed with
forested walls on two sides. At least two caves with evidence of prehistoric habitation
have been discovered there, and several local legends say that pirates used the inlet as
a base for surprising merchant ships. Excursions to Limska Draga leave from Rovinj
daily and often can be booked directly at seaside or from any travel agency in town for
about 190kn ($33/£17) per person.
Balbi Arch Enter Old Town from the main square through the 17th-century
Balbi Arch, which leads up to Grisia, Rovinj's most interesting street. The arch is on
the site where one of the town's seven gates once stood; it is carved with a Turk's head
on one side and a Venetian's head on the other.
St. Euphemia Church The baroque church dedicated to Rovinj's co-patron
saint is the third iteration of the shrine built in her honor. The present church was
built atop Rovinj's highest hill in the early 18th century and the adjacent bell tower
was built 50 years earlier and is one of the highest campaniles in Istria. It is topped
with a copper statue of St. Euphemia that includes a palm and a wheel, symbols of her
martyrdom. The people of Rovinj made St. Euphemia a patron saint of the city along
with St. George after the stone sarcophagus containing her body mysteriously showed
up on their shores following its disappearance from Constantinople in A . D . 800.
Petro Stankovi5a. & 052/815-615. Daily summer 10am-3pm; only during Mass other times.
POREC
“Something for everyone” could be Pore c 's motto—the seaside resort 67km (42 miles)
north of Pula offers everything from a UNESCO World Heritage basilica complex to
endless shopping opportunities to slick resort hotels so crammed with activities and
services that you think you're in DisneyWorld. Pore c courts tourism, supports
tourism, and profits from tourism, but the town and surrounding area still manage to
intrigue, perhaps because they are a seamless blend of medieval heritage, a well-oiled