Porec Favorite Tips by JLBG Top 5 Page for this destination

Trg J. Rakovċa and Trg Narodne

Favorite thing: When you walk from the main parking lot close to the market, (there is another large one and several small ones), to the Decumanus, you cannot avoid Trg J. Rakovċa (first photo). What is impressive is the variety of the colors of the houses : pale blue, apricot, pistachio green, etc.. That makes a delightful landscape.

In Poreč, many houses have their front painted with this apricot color. The apricot color of the front of the houses matches perfectly with the blue of the sky. This is not completely given by the picture (second photo) on VT, as the colors are not exactly what they should be. Sorry !

Unsurprisingly, the statue of Joakim Rakovaċ, national hero, stands in the middle of Trg Rakovca (third photo). It is difficult to avoid walking along it. It illustrates one of the numerous chapters of the uneasy history of Istria and of Croatia.

Trg Slobode

Favorite thing: Trg Slobode is part of the new Poreč, 'fore le porte', but just at the entrance of the Decumanus. Hence it is always very lively, with a lot of (pedestrians !) traffic, as it is already, like the Decumanus, a pedestrian only zone (first photo).

The second photo focus onone particular house of Trg Slobode. There are not many brick houses in Poreč (neither in whole Istria). This brick house, with its stone carvings around the windows, catches the eye because of its special character. There must have been a time when brick building was more 'fashionable' than stone building, that everybody did !

While the first photo showed the left part of Trg Slobode, the third one shows the right part. Note that there are several ATM in Poreč but that you will find (at least) two of them on Trg Slobode, not on the part shown on this photo but on the right.

The Romanesque house (Romaniċka kuċa)

Favorite thing: The Romanesque house (Romaniċka kuċa) is in Matije Gupċa park. It has an outside staircase and a wooden balcony and was built in the 13th century on the basement of a Roman house. It is the only of its period remaining in Poreč. The wooden balcony has been rebuilt in 1930, exactly alike the older one. It is now an ethnography museum.

The Pentagonal tower (Peterokutna Kuċa)

Favorite thing: The Pentagonal tower (Peterokutna Kuċa) was built in 1447 by Niccolo Lion as a defense tower for the city walls, which were dismantled at the very beginning of the 19th (when Napoleon ruled Istria ?)

Is it really pentagonal ? At first sight (first photo), it does not seem to be !

However, even if it looks square from the Decumanus, the Pentagonal Tower is actually pentagonal from the rear ! I have checked because I was puzzled about it ! So the so Pentagonal Tower IS definitely pentagonal ! (second photo)

High on the Pentagonal tower, a cartouche with a winged lion is engraved in the front wall (third photo). It is another testimony of the presence of Venice in Poreč. Underneath, the letters N U flank a smaller cartouche with another winged lion. What N U stands for, I have not found anywhere.

The fourth photo is a close up on the lion holding an open book, meaning "peace" while when it holds a sword, it means "war".

More Venetian gothic palaces

Favorite thing: When the old city of Poreč is quiet and almost desert, you can look at the front of the houses instead of trying to avoid bumping against other pedestrians ! I hate that and whenever I can, I avoid it.

These four photos were taken on the occasion of a small trip to Istria for white truffle tasting, in early November. I had never seen the city so quiet ! That allowed me to discover new Venetian gothic palaces that I had never spotted in Summer. However, there remains to identify them and learn more about each of them, which I am now trying to do.

Ancient palaces, now official offices !

Favorite thing: The imposing building on the first photo is unidentified. It looks like a theater and I hope that some one will give me the answer ! On top, a woman between two angels holds a cellular ! No, that cannot be ! It should be one of the seven muses playing music (what was her name ? Isn't that Terpsichore the muse of dancing?)

The second photo obviously shows an official building. I would bet it is the harbor authority.

Lady of the Angels (Gospa od andela)

Favorite thing: The church of "Lady of the Angels" (Gospa od andela) is also "fore le porte". It can be seen as soon as you go out of the Decumanus (first photo).

It was built in the 18th century on trg Slobode. The pastel colors of its outside walls are very pleasant to the eye and matches perfectly with the neighboring houses (second photo).

The rear of church of "Lady of the Angels" (third photo) is all pastel pink color. Behind the church, a long and low building hosting caffes and other shops has a pale olive first floor and a dark brick colored basement. Together, all this colors make a superb landscape.

Lady of the Angels, though relatively modern (18th century) is very elegant, mainly because of its very simple look and because of its pastel colors which both match well together, match well with the neighboring houses and match well with the blue of the sky (fourth photo).

Peaceful Poreč !

Favorite thing: These four photos do not present any fancy or historical buildings but try to give the feeling that you will have when you can wander freely in the small streets and narrows alleys of the old town with nobody around but a few locals. You will perhaps get along a nun clothed as they used to be, long ago, wandering with her family (niece and grand niece ?), or after a narrow lane, find a wider place with a small lawn and a palm tree.

Old well

Favorite thing: Though that now this old well is not anymore in use (it is sealed and the top has been filled with sand), it has been used for such a long time that the ropes used to draw the water out have made their way inside the stone !

The Roman Temples

Favorite thing: On the west side of the square (first photo), there remains very little of the Roman temples, the temple of Neptune (Neptunov hram) and the Great temple (Veliki hram), both built in the second century : a fluted column and the lower parts of a few walls, half hidden by laurel bushes.

A few Roman sarcophages are scattered among the ruins of the Roman temples, under the cedar trees (second photo). They are empty and the cover has been removed. No writing is visible. The place is very quiet and peaceful, very different from the crowd in the Decumanus !

The remains of the Roman Temple to Neptun (Neptunov hram) are the memory of the past, but (third photo) behind, in the background, Pore? is living and its inhabitants doing their laundry, and hanging their laundry behind the Roman ruins because everyday life is always stronger than remains of the past.

The cartouche on the fourth photo shows a coat of arm representing a tree with its fruits. The tree is drawn in a symbolic way and might represent the tree of life. The tree of life can be represented under the appearance of either an apple tree or of an orange tree. Here, I would bet for an apple tree.

The fifth photo shows a doorway which is all what remains of a Roman temple. It stays still, while the walls and the temple have fallen down long ago. It looks like the symbol of pointlessness! A wall-less doorway allowing to enter into an roof-less space ??!! It is about as useful as Jarry's handless knife with the blade missing !