I can proudly say that I’m a Roman History lover (and no, the latest silly TikTok trend has nothing to do with it!).
When I was a kid, my idol was not any singer, any footballer, any modern-day celebrity. My star and inspiration was Julius Cesar! I was so into him that once I even organised a “re-enactment” with my cousin Michele. We set up an epic wrestling match: Julius Cesar vs Marc Anthony! Properly dressed with white clothes and laurel crowns, we brought to life these two historical characters. Well, my cousin won the match, with a proper uppercut, though we had agreed that punches were not allowed. The adults were the referees and they didn’t care. The victory went to my cousin, Michele, aka Marc Anthony! :-D
Many years passed since that WWE / SPQR night, but my passion for Roman history didn’t fade at all. I always find incredible how such a civilisation left a trace everywhere around the European continent and beyond.
From Portugal to Georgia, from North Africa to the British islands, you can always find some Roman ruins. If you don’t find ruins, you will still bump into Roman artefacts, or at least names, customs, or streets coming from the Roman era. There’s no escape. Those “motherfuckers” spread more than COVID-19! :-D
And though you can find Roman prints everywhere in Europe and nearby, there are some places that are way more preserved than others. One of these is Pula, in Croatia.
Pula was supposed to be my main stop in Croatia. It had everything that I needed from this long vacation across former Austria-Hungary:
- The splendid Adriatic Sea, so I could forget about the Atlantic for a week
- The juicy food from Istria
- My dear friend Nela
- And impressive Roman ruins
Calling them “ruins” is even reductive. Are they really ruins? If you look at the Roman amphitheatre, you wouldn’t say so.
The Arena
The Roman Arena in Pula, is a remarkable ancient amphitheatre that dates back to the 1st century AD. Also known as the Pula Arena, it stands as one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres globally and is an iconic symbol of the city. This colossal monument was capable of seating over 20,000 spectators. It hosted thrilling (and bloody) gladiator fights, chariot races, and various public events during the Roman Empire. The facility was so advanced that it even had a plant to spread lavender perfume around the arena. Why lavender? Because beside being one of the finest scents, lavender is also a natural antiseptic, excellent to sanitise an area full of blood and dead corpses, or spectators amassed close to each other, in an age where most didn’t shower every day…
This arena is so well preserved that it is still used today for hosting concerts, on a regular basis. The very night I’ve arrived in Pula, Florence + The Machine was playing there! Two nights later, it was the turn for Simply Red (I didn’t know they were still alive, lol). If I remained one week more, I’d have crossed path with Mr Robbie Williams too!
One night, while walking by the ancient theatre, Nela and I wondered what the arena would think of these modern-day concerts. We joked that probably, if the arena could talk, it would sound like those grumpy grandpas complaining about today’s youth: “What is this??? Who are these musicians with electric harps? Where is the blood? Where is the gore??? And you call this ‘entertainment’???”
Yeah, I bet the arena would be nostalgic of the gladiator fights. It doesn’t matter how horrible something can be. Your childhood is always the best time… :D
I know what you think, but judging ancient people with our modern values is always a mistake. For us, it is easy to condemn someone who enjoys watching people fighting each other till death in real life. However, it is challenging to see it otherwise if you’ve been taught since a tender age that those shows are normal, that those guys are bad anyway and they would never be able to live in the civil society. “It is what it is, son. Just watch and have fun!"
So don’t be so hard on them. You can enjoy centuries of cultural evolution. You were born “good” because others made this world better, so you could be an “angel” without effort.
Remember this question: if you were to live during the 1930s, in Germany, would you have been a Nazi? 99% of you will reply firmly: “Never!”
However, statistically most of us would have been Nazis anyway. This uncomfortable reasoning can drive most of us mad, but we shouldn’t get angry. We should be grateful for being born during one of the best historical moments ever, despite all.
The Temple and Forum
Continuing the exploration of Pula, the next Roman heritage you will find is the Forum, where you can admire the Temple of Augustus. Even this site cannot be called ruin. It’s a perfectly intact Roman building still standing after 2000 years.
The whole forum keeps the same original square, where the Romans used to spend their days trading, chatting, and socialising. The buildings forming the square have still their foundations in the Roman era. We can say they are the same constructions that were restored and reshaped over the centuries.
Beside hosting regular re-enactments of the Roman days, the forum is still the centre of life nowadays, especially when there are big events, such as Croatia playing the Nations League final against Spain. Just few days after Venice and Spain was again on my way to celebrate something! And once again, the Red Furies ruined my “plans”! :D
It’s such a pity the chessboard team lost the game in the most cruel way, at the penalties. I can’t even imagine how the Croats would have celebrated!
Croatia’s Relationship with the Chessboard
Fun fact about Croatia’s jersey and coat of arm. Why is there a chessboard on the flag and national team jersey? Legends say that in the 10th century, Croatian king Stephan I was captured by the Venetians (always those jacks). His luck wanted that Venice’s Dodge Peter II was into chess and King Stephan was said to be a fine chess player. The Dodge proposed this: “If you will beat me 3 times at chess, I’ll let you go!”
King Stephan won 3 games in a row and surprisingly, the Venetians kept their words and released the Croatian king!
Since then, a black and red chessboard has been the unmistakable symbol of the Croatian people.
James Joyce was here…
Continuing from the Forum on Sergijevaca street, you will pass through the Triumph Arc.
The arc is indeed called Arch of the Sergii, after a powerful Roman family that used to rule the region. It is said the family derives from a tribune named Lucius Sergius Lepidus, who served under Agrippa during the successful naval battle of Actium, where Agrippa’s troops defeated Marc Anthony and Cleopatra’s fleet. Apparently, the tribune spent his well deserved retirement in Pula, where they honoured him with this monument around 27 AD.
Legends say that when Napoleon stationed in Pula, he was so impressed by the arch that he ordered a similar construction in Paris. Though the theory is suggestive, Nela and her tourist guide friend Sasha are skeptical, given that the Arc in Paris was built 2 years before Napoleon’s campaign against Austria-Hungary.
The Arc is not alone, it is carefully watched by a bronze statue of James Joyce. The popular Irish writer spent almost one year in Pula, where he used to teach English.
They say Joyce always complained about Pula. He didn’t like a town that back in the day was highly militarised, with a military port overshadowing the beauty around. Pula was indeed the most important military port of Austria-Hungary, so important that 3/4 of its population was composed by military personnel or people working in the related supply chain.
Though impressive, it wasn’t the right environment for a type like James Joyce. He preferred Trieste. However, Joyce was forced to flee the Giulian town after he had accumulated excessive debts. Joyce’s financial situation was always fragile, due to his indulging in drinking and women.
At least in Pula, he lived a peaceful life and he even found his favourite bar, nowadays called “Uliks” (Ulysses, after his most notable work), proudly showing his statue.
The bar carried a heavy prank that almost proved fatal for the owner. He stated to have found an original manuscript by James Joyce. The authorities didn’t waste time and immediately intimated the bar owner to hand the pages to them, otherwise an arrest warrant would have been issued without delay. Jeez! The state is always ready to take away everything from you!
“Hold your horses, sirs! It was just a prank!”
The Castle
Roman remains are not the only heritage worth to explore in Pula. The castle complex built by the Venetians is remarkable too, though sad. It is sad because those fuckers demolished the ancient Roman theatre, to build their damn castle. The Republic wanted to do the same with the Arena, but an architect stood up against the idea and the Venetians spared the amphitheatre we can still admire today.
Over the years, the castle saw renovations, the heaviest of which carried out by the Austrians. During WWII and then during the Yugoslavian wars, the castle saw the construction of an impressive tunnel network that was capable of hosting the entire city’s population. These days, you can explore such tunnels. Just ask for Zero Strasse and you will find an impressive underground museum which explores the history of Pula, with particular focus on the end of the 19th century, when the Austro-Hungarian crown invested heavily on modernising the town, starting with the electric tram.
If once Pula was proudly part of the Roman Empire, during the 20th century, the town found itself in the clutch of two ferocious ideologies. Since the 1920s, Pula and whole Istria saw an increasing pressure by the Italian fascist regime to level up the multicultural heritage of the region. According to Mussolini, Italian should have been the only language spoken in the region, and the Slavs were meant to serve the Italians.
Mussolini wanted to remark this concept in person during a visit in Pula. He delivered a charismatic speech from the balcony of this building:
That same night, the Dux went to the theatre, where he had a shocking surprise. The dictator was stopped by a crowd while he was exiting the theatre. Mussolini was expecting congratulations and support by the local Italians. Instead, a brave man slapped the Dux’s face and ran away, chased by the fascist police. Against all the odds, the regime never managed to identify and catch the man who clearly told Mussolini that Italians and Slavs were meant to be friends and equal.
This was something that Mussolini couldn’t understand, as he even mentioned in his diaries. There are no exact words published (yet) from his diaries, but the Dux would have allegedly written something like this:
“Italians here seem not to understand my goal. I aim at bringing prosperity to them and elevate their condition. Why shall they keep living at the same low level of the Slavs here?”
History then took a tragic course and tried everything to put Italians and Croatians against each other.
At the end of WWII, Tito would have initiated an inverse process, cleaning the area from Italians and whoever was even suspected of being anti-communist. This just proves how communism and fascism are made of the same brown matter.
Luckily, nowadays, the poison of the 20th century faded off and relationships between Italy and Croatia are better than ever and Istria remains proudly a bilingual region.
The mysterious fortress
When walking around Pula, it can happen to bump into splendid but abandoned historical buildings, like Fort San Giorgio.
This fort was built by the Austrians, then used by the Italians during the fascist regime, then managed by the Yugoslavs until the 1970s, when it lost any military use and was abandoned.
Today, Fort San Giorgio is hidden in the woods and though open to the public, it is officially abandoned. There are some volunteers collecting the rubbish though and someone even bothers with cutting the grass. It is remarkable when ordinary citizens compensate the lack of funds from the government to keep a site like this.
However, always remember it’s an abandoned place, so take all the possible precautions and never go alone unless during the day.
I must confess I felt like under the aim of hundreds of ghost soldiers deployed around this incredible circle!
Pula’s seaside!
Is the sea in Pula beautiful? Of course it is! The sea is amazing everywhere in Croatia! Is it cold? Well, for who comes from the Atlantic like me, the Adriatic is warm! If you’re spoiled with the rest of the Mediterranean sea, you might find the Adriatic very fresh. Many locals find the water cold, but if you give your body a few minutes, you will be fine. Go! It’s great! Ah and don’t call it “water”. The locals hate to call the sea “water”….
The beaches are rocky, like in the rest of Croatia. For me it’s great. Rocky shores are more suggestive, the water is crystal clear and deep right away. They also make it great for snorkeling or scuba diving. If you’re into this, you won’t be disappointed!
And these rocks are very ancient, so old that some still bear… dinosaur footprints! Oh yeah, these layers of stone withstood the weather since the Mesozoic. Back then they used to be soft clay which remained pressed by dinos of any kind, mostly medium sized. Today it’s impossible to determine which species stepped over them, but not the ones you know the most. No raptor and no T-Rex used to be in what would have became the Euroasian continent.
You can find most of dino footprints in the Premantura park, which sadly I couldn’t visit. But my friend Nela eventually did!
Eating in Pula
I will say one name: Pizzeria Jupiter! Not easy to find such a rustic and yet good pizza in Italy, impossible to find these prices in Istria!
You wanna know how much was this spicy salami pizza? Shoot! No… It was just 9.00 EUR! Unbelievable man! Special thanks to Nela and Irena who took me there!
And Holly too!
You have other restaurants (and pizzerias) everywhere in Pula, but all of them will ask you a high toll. If you have to pay, then I’d suggest you for Alighieri, which offers the best of the Istrian cuisine. To drink, go local with a white wine called Malvasia.
And at some point, you will crave for ice cream. Such is the intensity of heat during the afternoon. You can have an extraordinary ice cream just beside the Arena. The place is called A-Roma, wordplay which in Italian can mean “to Rome” but also “flavour”.2 scoops are sold for 6.00 EUR, but the experience and the location are worth it. Come on! You’re on holiday! Your financial future won’t depend on that ice cream.
Your future depends on the memories you create in the present moment, and during my present spent in Pula, I’ve created many of them!
My journey across former Austria-Hungary will continue to Rijeka, the next article out soon! ;-)