Pula, the largest city in Istria (also known as “little Rome”), amazes with its beauty and adorns this region with its magnificent history.
The building for which this city is world famous is its Amphitheater Arena. It is the largest preserved monument of Roman architecture in Croatia, where gladiator fights, various musical and theatrical performances took place and where citizens spent their free time. Did you know that the Arena in Pula was named after the Latin word harena which means sand? Long ago, after the gladiator fights ended, the ground floor of the Amphitheatre was covered with sand. Legends say that it was built by the Emperor Vespasian in honour of his mistress Antonia Cenida, who lived in Pula. Explore tunnels and corridors where the warriors and lions stood before the fight and feel the adrenaline before entering the auditorium. In numbers, built during the 1st century; 6th in size in the world, 33 meters high; 64 square windows on its last level; 72 semi-circular arches, expanded to accept as many as 23,000 spectators.
One of the main streets in Pula “Ulica Sergijevaca”, named after the Sergii family who built their empire in Pula, can be seen through the triumphal arch of the Sergijevci. This monument is located at the beginning of this street and will lead you to the Pula Forum, central town square (pedestrian zone only) with famous roman Temple of Augustus.