Rovinj (on film)

Rovinj is a small city on the west coast of Istra, Croatia. It's beginnings reach to the Roman times (177 BC), when it wasn't of much importance, however, it's true evolution and growth into what we speak of now had begun in 1283, when it became a part of Venice. For my family, Rovinj is one of the rare cities to which we don't hesitate to return, for it is relatively close and very affordable to visit. I first visited Rovinj when I was 1 month old, and have since then been returning every year, even if only for a day. What I like most about this city is the fact that as an entity, it is composed in a perfect ratio of a very light and hardly harmless form of urbanisation, and well-kept and respected typical mediterranean vegetation and climate. Below is a description of this years visit.

 On saturday, July 4th, I, along with my family, left the marina in Izola, Slovenia, and made my way to Rovinj. After 7 hours of sailing, which involved lots of boiling in the sun, doing foolish things to cure the boredom, and a short but very pleasant visit by the dolphins, we finally arrived to the marina in Rovinj. After a very fulfilling lunch, my sister and I decided to set out on an adventure on the beachy side of the city. Thus we walked a large proportion of Rovinj's idyllic coast with the clearest sea I've had the pleasure to lay my eyes upon in a long while. The gravel pathway led us along the coast through a smaller forest which opened up to a beautiful field of olive trees right by the sea. From there we continued again by the coast past 4 columns from the Roman times, through the Roman quarry, which is in the summer transformed into a humongous oven, back to the original pathway from which we began. We then found a spot on the beach where we read and relaxed.

When the sun was about to set, we all visited the very centre, the very core of the old Venetian city of Rovinj, which was in the past in the form of an island. There we walked through the main street, which is full of old and beautiful buildings, past the museum, all the way to the top of the hill (past island), on which stands a large church in Venetian architecture. After that, we descended the hill and stopped on the main square for a refreshing drink. Interestingly enough, there was a surprisingly large amount of english-speaking tourists. As by that time, the night had been coming in strong, we returned to our boat, where we had a very mediterranean dinner and (at last) went to bed. That night, like all the other ones in Rovinj, I decided to sleep outside in the cockpit and let me tell you, in the unrelentless summer heat, it was one of the best decisions I've made, for there was nothing more pleasant than the fresh night breeze along with a short interlude by the rain.

The following morning, we took another walk through the centre, stopped for some coffee, and visited the market, which was as lively as ever. After that followed the return home.

As you may have noticed, the photos aren't in the usual quality. That is because they were taken with an analog camera and had to be developed from the film. It is a bit inconvenient, but nevertheless unique and fascinating.

Croatia all around is a magnificent country full of natural and cultural monuments worth seeing. As I have in all my years gotten to visit a large proportion of the country's coast, and see all sorts of beautiful beaches, I strongly suggest to anyone who is making plans for summer holidays, to put the Phillipines, Carribean, Canary islands aside and at least consider the Croatian coast. Along my personal favorites are Brioni islands, Rovinj, Žut, Skradin, Brač, Split and Hvar.

Have you ever been to Croatia? Where do you plan on spending your holidays this summer? Don't hesitate to share below!

x, Valens