"Rovinj" a Rovinj Travel Page by Nina.M.

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Rovinj

ABOUT ROVINJ

Rovinj, a small town in Croatia, on the west coast of Istria, on 45° 01' of latitude and 13° 38' of longitude east of Greenwich. It is one of nine towns in Istrian County that cover almost the whole Istrian peninsula or 2.815.09 sq. km. i.e. 5% of the Republic of Croatia.
According to the last census from 1991 Istrian County counts 204.346 inhabitants in 71.185 households; population density is 73 inhabitants / sq. km. and an average family numbers 2,87 members. Out of this number, 158.726 are Catholics.
The center of the County is Pazin, while the biggest town is Pula as tourist, cultural and economical center.
Agriculture, together with fishing trade, fills county needs and, tourism is the basic economic activity with 205.000 beds, which are 28% of Croatian offer.
Istria is simply beautiful. Its beauty can be found in prehistorical remains, antique monuments, middle age towns, as well as in landscapes, sea, people, villages and towns.
Rovinj, a wonderful town, the pearl of Istrian peninsula with tempestuous history and beautiful present. The old part of the settlement is lying on a peninsula and, it was first mentioned under the name of Ruigno, Ruvigno, Ruginio in the Cosmography by the Anonymous of Ravenna who gives us an account of Istria in the 4th and 5th centuries.
Town Rovinj has, according to the census from 1991, 12.910 inhabitants, out of which 1.761 are members of Italian national community.
The climate is Mediterranean. The average temperature is 4,8° C in January and 22,3° C in July. The average annual temperature is 16° C.
Sea temperature is more than 20° C from the middle of June to the middle of September. The average annual sea temperature is 16,6 ° C.
From the middle of May to the middle of September the sun shines more than 10 hours a day.
The rainfall averages 940 mm a year. The average moist level is 72%. Vegetation is subtropical.
The area of Rovinj borders with communes of Bale, Kanfanar, St Lovrec and Vrsar.
In Rovinj Archipelago there are 22 islets among which St Andrew and St Catherina are the biggest and the most beautiful.
In the area of Rovinj there are some valuable and protected parts of nature, special reserves: islands and the coast from the islet of Sv. Ivan (St John) to the islet of Dvije sestrice (Two Sisters), sea and underwater of the Limski kanal (Lim fjord) and a part of Limska draga (Lim dell), Park Forest "Punta Corrente", marsh Palud, Romuald's cave on the southern side Lim fjord and stone-pit Monfiorenzo as a kind of geological monument of nature.

The Old Town nucleus, protected historical whole (Protection declaration was issued by the Institute of Ancient Monuments in Rijeka in 1963) is the most wonderful and the most interesting part of Rovinj.
It is beautiful to experience the old part of town, rich with numerous Romanesque - Gothic, Renaissance, baroque, neoclassical windows, balconies, altanas (terraces on the roofs), portals, stairs. Walking through narrow lanes and squares we will be fascinated with the beauty of tightly squeezed houses that hold each other up on the slope underneath the church of St Euphemia. Once, they were protected by the early medieval and renaissance townwalls, partly preserved till today on the north and south sides of the Old Town.Three of seven town gates have preserved their original shape: St Benedict Gate (today Vrata na obali - the Gate On the Coast), the Gate Under the Wall (Vrata pod zidom) with the inscription from 1590 and the Holy Cross Gate (Vrata Svetog kriza), with the town coat-of-arms, while the Gate of Old Fish Market (today called Balbi's Arch) has seen some changes.
From Town Square we can enter the Old Town through Balbi's Arch, beautiful Venetian building covered with stones in 1678-79. On the upper part of the arch there is a figure of a head in Turkish style on the outer side, and in Venetian style on the inner side. Some hundred years later, the architrave of the arch was ornamented with two coats-of-arms of the Balbi family. Between these two coats-of-arms there is a wall stone with the inscription and, above it a figure of Venetian lion. The stone lion is unique for its unusual motto on the stone book which reads: VICTORIA TIBI MERCE EVANGELISTA MEVS.
On the left side of the Balbi's Arch there is Townhall, once preatorian palace. Its foundations are from 1308.In centuries to follow it was restored many times. In a part of the ground floor there was prison, while on the first floor were the Big Hall of the Town Council, other offices and archive.
In 1822 sotoportico with the Old Town gate was pulled down; façade and atrium were renewed between 1850 and 1860 when a row of coats-of-arms of Venetian and Rovinj families was placed, as well as town's coat-of-arms. It is interesting that Rovinj coat-of-arms - heraldic red cross on the white field - appears already in the 14th and 15th centuries. Today, on the first floor we can see beautiful frescoes from 1584 that used to be in the former Townhall.
On Matteoti Square there is recently renewed building of Center for historic researches of the Italian Union. The Center, founded in 1968, has a rich library with over 80.000 works. From 1995 the library has the status of Biblioteca depositaria del Consiglio d'Europa - library in which material of European Council for human rights and the rights of minorities is deposited.
From Matteotti Square we come to Veli Square full of Renaissance houses from the 16th century. We can choose any lane, each of them wonderful and special. Some will take us to the coast, some, like Grisia, known itself for the art exhibition, will take us to the top of the hill with the parish church of St Euphemia, patroness of the town. At the end of the lane, more precisely underneath the church, there is the church of St Joseph, built in 1673.

It is interesting for its beauty and peculiarities. On one side there is a Venetian style building and, on the other side there are buildings that take us back to the past, to the artistic architectonic circle of Trieste-Austrian style. The Town Clock, from the middle of the 19th century, with the Venetian lion - symbol of Serenissima - was situated on the tower of the town gate near Califfi palace. There is also, relatively new fountain, built in 1959 in which numerous pigeons bathe and drink.
In summer at least, boats regularly transport many tourists from the little mole to the most beautiful and biggest Rovinj islands - St Catherine and St Andrew.
On Marshal Tito Square the Native Museum is situated in a beautiful baroque building from the end of the 17th century (formerly property of the Califfi family).
From Town Square we come in (after Grisia Lane) the most representative street in Rovinj. It is, by all means, Carera - urbanized in the second half of the 17th century. Today it is the busiest street with many little shops placed into the old entrancies, wine cellars and archways.
In the central part of the street there is the baroque church of St Karlo Borromeo. Today it is a private gallery. Some fifty meters further, on Campitelli Square, Milossa palace is situated, built in the 18th century - today it is the seat of the Italian Union in Rovinj
Carera ends on Lokva Square where is the oldest sacral building in Rovinj - the Chapel of Holy Trinity, from which we can move towards many resorts of the southern coast, towards the post-office or health center, towards Pula, Pazin or Porec.