Pula is the largest city in Istria with about 60,000 inhabitants. Legend has it that the city was founded by the mythical Jason and his Argonauts fleeing the Colchians after stealing the Golden Fleece. The story was recorded in the ancient Library of Alexandria in 300 BC by Apollonius and Callimachus in the epic Argonautica. Somehow the story of lost sailors finding their way to Istria in ancient myths seemed to parallel my search of Istria lost on a bike.

Recognizing its strategic importance, the Romans used Pula as a port of trade with protected sea access. It became an important Roman city with a colosseum built in the 1st century by the emperor Vespasian. The colosseum still stands today. You can walk in the ring where the gladiators battled 20 centuries ago under the same white stone arches carved by Roman masons. It is now an amazing venue for artists like Sting.

The Brijuni Islands provide protection to the harbor of Pula. These islands are now a national park. You can easily hop on a boat and sail around or tour the Brijuni Islands. The tour is a couple hours and a longer trip allows you to walk the trails.

Rovinj

Rovinj is so beautiful, a day trip turned into an impromptu and delightful 5 day stay. Think of Rovinj as the little sister to Split and Dubrovnik. The old town was under the control of the Roman, the Byzantine and the Venetian Empires but the city's architecture is heavily Venetian. Many walkways and homes are on the water similar to Venice. Cobbled streets of white marble wind through the old town and on the summit of the hill stands St. Euphemia's Church. Some of these streets are steep so be sure to wear appropriate footwear.

Rovinj is one of the last true Adriatic fishing ports and some consider it to be the star attraction of Istria. In summer tourists abound, however, the locals and town planners are balancing upgrading hotels and restaurants in order to keep the small town ambiance. Sailing around the 14 islands of the Rovinj Archipelago makes for a pleasant afternoon. The most popular are Sveta Katarina and Crveni Otok (Red Island), also known as Sveti Andrija. About 1.5km south is the Punta Corrente Forest Park and the wooded cape of Zlatni Rt (Golden Cape), with its age-old oak and pine trees and several large hotels.