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rovinj: the jewel of the croatian coast |
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Along the west coast of the Istrian Peninsula, Rovinj is a picture-perfect Croatian city with a distinctly Italian flair. Centuries of Venetian rule earned it the nickname‘ Little Venice’, and today it’ s home to lively palazzos and a harbor lined with stellar cafes and restaurants. Rising above the city is the hilltop Church of St. Euphemia, crowned with a 17thcentury bell tower modeled on the one in St. Mark’ s in Venice, and visible from almost everywhere in the Old Town. Ferries link Rovinj with Italy, including one that makes the three-hour journey from Cesenatico port, near the city of Ravenna. The best part? Rovinj receives significantly fewer tourists compared to Croatia’ s headline destinations such as Split and Dubrovnik, which makes it the ideal day trip if you want to explore this beautiful coastline at a quieter, more romantic pace. |
Clockwise from above:
Old Town of Rovinj, Croatia;
the harbor of Perast, Kotor Bay,
Montenegro; Dubrovnik
Cathedral in the Old Town
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KOTOR
The verdant Bay of Kotor is Europe’ s southernmost fjord. See if you can spy the villages on its denim-blue waters: Herceg Novi guards the entrance with the Forte Mare fortress, while peaceful Perast is dominated by caves and bell towers.
Kotor, at the end of the bay, offers a blend of impenetrable Venetian walls on the outside and elaborate churches within, from the tiny Orthodox chapel of Saint Luke’ s to the Romanesque arches of Saint Tryphon’ s Cathedral.
The parquet slabs of Stari Grad( Old Town) are prime territory for getting deliberately lost. Use your time to dip into baroque palazzos, stop to greet the city’ s many cats and sit under vine-shaded konoba( tavern) terraces. The Montenegrin national dish is kacamak, a rich maize porridge served with a tangy topping of white cheese; pair it with a cool glass of Krstac wine.
Want to get some steps in? Take on the challenging Ladder of Kotor— a steep mountain path with over 70 switchbacks. A round-trip hike to the first viewpoint, offering jaw-dropping panoramas over Kotor and the bay below, takes a couple of hours, plenty of determination and perhaps a fig-flavored gelato to cool off.
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DUBROVNIK
After a restful day at sea, hopping between sea-facing spas and bars for every mood, you’ ll arrive in Dubrovnik— a city on a coast contested between Venetians and Ottomans, which became an independent maritime republic called Ragusa. Get your bearings by walking a complete circuit of the city’ s 13th-century walls.
Eagle-eyed Game of Thrones fans will spot locations from the series, including the Rector’ s Palace, seen in season two. This gothic palazzo now houses the city’ s Cultural History Museum— the perfect place to discover artifacts from Ragusa’ s illustrious past. Then, unwind on the baroque Stradun boulevard with a strong coffee, and watch the world go by.
Curious about what life was like in the former Yugoslavia? The Red History Museum— less than 10 minutes’ walk from the ship— is designed to look like a 1970s apartment, with bulky TV sets, avocadocolored furniture and a Yugo hatchback.
Dubrovnik also serves as a gateway to Adriatic adventures. Swim in the crystal waters of nearby beaches, kayak past the Konavle cliffs and cycle through orange and olive groves, stopping in a village for a lunch of black squid-ink risotto and fruit brandy.
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images: awl images |
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66 • pos t c a rds |