The next stop along our Croatia highlights tour was the small seaside town of Rovinj on the Istrian Peninsula, the most Italian region of Croatia — a perfectly picturesque mini-Venice on a hill without canals. (The town was part of the Republic of Venice from the 13th to 15th centuries, so the main church in town looks nearly identical to St. Mark’s Basilica and there are winged lions on a number of buildings and entrance gates.)
The postcard-perfect view of the old town is incredible, and walking the narrow, cobbled streets lined with artists displaying their work was a fun way to spend the afternoon. Detouring on smaller side streets leading nowhere in particular was also fun, as the town is simply charming. We also happened upon Rovinj on a feast day, celebrating the town’s patron saint Euphemia. Her sarcophagus was open in the church on this one day, displaying the strange waxen figure of this early Christian martyred during the reign of Diocletian. (Legend has it that she was tortured and thrown to the lions, which miraculously refused to eat her. The Romans murdered her anyway, but her rescued remains in a marble sarcophagus floated up to Rovinj where they remain to this day.)
We tasted the local flavor at a special barbecue set up for the festival, and later enjoyed a live band in the main square. It was great to see locals out in the town rather than hordes of tourists, so we were lucky in our timing.
Our visit to the tiny town was short and enjoyable, a great stop along the way to Slovenia.