The ancient settlement of Porec, with its treasured sixth-century basilica and seaside views, is overrun by tourists and the businesses that cater to them. Small shops selling costume jewellery or T-shirts with bawdy jokes cram Decumanus, a 2,000-year-old stone-paved thoroughfare. Nearby Trg Marafor, and the ruins of the temples of Neptune and Mars, are further evidence of the Roman occupation. The harbour contains reminders of Venetian dominance until the 18th century, when Porec was ruled by Napoleon and then the Habsburgs. The Venetians also built a town wall, which stretched from the harbourside Round Tower, now occupied by a bar, to the inland Pentagonal Tower, now a restaurant.
Euphrasian Basilica & Bishop's Palace
Sv Eleuterija (052 431 635). Open 10am-5pm daily. Admission Church free. Belfry lOkn. Museum lOkn. The basilica, built in the sixth century by Bishop Euphrasius, is an important surÂviving example of Byzantine art. Of the wonderfully preserved gold-gilt and mothÂer-of-pearl mosaics, the largest and most stunning is in the apse, above and behind the altar, depicting a procession of saints and angels around the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. Euphrasius built his three-nave basilica on the foundation of a fifth-century church. Mosaics from earlier churches are still visible in the floor of the northern nave. Alongside is an eight-sided baptistery, and beyond a belfry, which you can climb for a view of the surroundings. Next to the church is the former Bishop's Palace housing a museum that contains mosaics gathered from earlier churches.