Containing some 90,000 residents, Pula is home to almost half of Istria's entire population. Best known for its Roman treasures, most especially a renowned and wonderfully preserved amphitheatre, Pula rose to prominence with the shipbuilding industry during the Habsburg era at the end of the 19th Century. Its resort areas, built in the 1960s and 70s, were focused away from the town centre, concentrated on Verudela and the Medulin riviera. For this reason, the Pula you find today is not a traditional tourist trap. That's not to say that Pula doesn't have a great deal to offer. It does. Just don't expect it to be handed to you on a plate. Pula both requires and deserves exploration.

Not surprisingly, tourists first head for Pula's historic remains. So important to the Romans they built the sixth-largest amphitheatre in the Roman world there, Pula contains a well-preserved arch, floor mosaic and Forum from the same era, all in the city centre. The amphitheatre is the setting for Pula's famed annual film festival of 50 years' vintage {see p72). Meanwhile Underground eulture is being regenerated with events at the massive old army barracks of Rojc (see p 75) and the reputable contemporary arts space of the MMC Luka (Istarska ulica 30,052 224 316, www.mmcluka.hr). Croatia's most interesting national park, the Brijuni Islands (seep78), is on its doorstep.
For Brijuni, though, you must get a bus to Fazana, and then a boat. The dock serves only seasonal traffic: Mali Losinj, Zadar, Venice and Rimini. Unlike nearly every seaboard destination in Croatia, Pula has no pretty harbourfront. It is poorly connected in general - there's no bus Service between town and Pula airport, for example.
Not everyone falls for Pula. Former resident James Joyce hated it. He wintered here immediately after eloping with Nora Barnacle in 1904, writing desperate letters home comparing the place to Siberia. The house where he taught is now a cafe, the Uliks (Ulysses).
Pula was then Pola, the naval base for the Austro-Hungarian empire. This was its second great era in history, some two millennia after its first. The Romans arrived in 177 BC. It became a Roman colony a Century later, producing wine and olive oil, and by the time of Augustus from 63 BC Pietas Iulia was a thriving urban centre with a forum, temples and city walls.
Between Augustus and the Habsburgs, Pula diminished to a minor port of a few hundred Citizens. Industrialised under the Austrians, who built an arsenal here in 1856, it passed into Italian hands in 1918 and was heavily bombed by the Allies in World War IL Industrialised again under Tito, it saw a rise in package tourism in purpose-built hoteis outside town. Pula is also one of the rare coastal towns where life goes on in winter.
â–ºThe phone code for the Istria region is 052. In Croatia, dial the whole number. Within the region, drop the 052. From abroad, dial 00 385 52 then the last six digits. Most Croatian mobile numbers begin with 091, 098 or 099. From abroad or a foreign mobile, dial 00 385 91, 98 or 99 then the remaining digits.

SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS
The must-see attraction is Pula's amphitheatre (Flavijevska, 052 219 028; open summer 8am-7pm daily, winter 9am-5pm daily; admission 20kn). Set a short walk north of the city centre, its outer walls are remarkably preserved, and a wonderful backdrop for the film festival and big-name concerts that take place here every summer. Inside is a bit of a mess, of green plastic seating and clumps of stone, the view at the top of the sloping anterior a disappointing one of the grass verge running to the harbour and crane after crane beyond. But you do get a sense of the gladiatorial contests held here until AD 400, particularly when you go down to the corridors on the sea-facing side where the lions were kept. Through a long tunnel lined with Roman masonry, you'll now find a few displays about olive oil produetion and a rather detailed map of Via Flavia, which connected Pula with Trieste. Outside is a modest Souvenir shop with the same opening hours as the arena.
The second of the Roman attractions Stands at the south-east entrance to the town centre. The Arch of the Sergians, or Golden Gate, was built in 30 BC. Its most notable aspects are the reliefs of grapes and winged victories on the inner fagade. Passing through the arch and past the statue of James Joyce, marking where the author taught in 1904, you walk down the Roman high street, the Sergijevaca. It leads to the heart of Pula, the Roman mosaic and Forum, and Temple of Augustus. The mosaic dates to the second Century AD and has geometric motifs representing the twins Amphion and Zethos.

Alongside is the Forum, still the main Square, today lined with cafes (including the landmark Cvajner), the Town Hall, tourist office and, lining the far side, the six classical Corinthian columns of the Temple of Augustus. Inside is a modest collection of Roman finds (052 218 689; open summer only, 9am-3pm daily; admission 10kn).
The Gothic-style Franciscan church and the cathedral, a Renaissance facade built on a Roman temple, are set near the Forum, below the centrepiece Fortress (Kastei). Neither contain much of great interest. The Fortress, originally the Roman Capitol, was built by the Venetians in the 17th Century; it houses the disappointing Istrian Historical Museum (Gradinski uspon 6, 052 211 566; open summer 8am-8pm daily, winter 9am-5pm daily; admission lOkn). Towards the Roman wall is the Archaeological Museum of Istria.
Much eise of interest lies south of the centre, on or off the main Veruda road leading to the hotel hub and best beaches of Verudela. Halfway to the two nearest beaches, at Stoja and Valsaline, is the ornate, verdant Naval Cemetery, built by the Habsburgs, the spot for a stroll on a hot summer's afternoon.
Archaelogical Museum of Istria
Carrarina 3 (052 218 603/www.mdc.hr). Open Summer 9am-8pm Mon-Sat; lOam-3pm Sun. Winter 9ara-2pm Mon-Fri. Admission lOkn. No credit Cards.
The best Illyrian and Roman finds are on dis-play here, a three-storey museum with good English-language documentation. You'll find jewellery, coins and weapons from Roman and medieval times, ceramics and f ossils from pre-history, mosaics and sarcophagi.