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Porec
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Regular buses head north from Rovinj towards
POREC
, Istria's largest and busiest resort. Another peninsula town with an ordered mesh of streets that dates from its days as a Roman encampment, Porec's star historic turn is the
Basilica of Euphrasius
(Eufrazijeva basilika; daily 7am-8pm; free), a sixth-century Byzantine structure harbouring mosaics claimed by some experts to be comparable with those at Ravenna. Situated just off Ljubljanska, in the centre of Porec, the basilica is at the heart of a religious complex, established by Bishop Euphrasius in 543, which includes a bishop's palace, atrium, baptistry and campanile. Entry is through the
Atrium
, an arcaded courtyard that was heavily restored in the nineteenth century but still has ancient bits of masonry incorporated in its walls. Beyond lies the
Bishop's Palace
(daily 10am-6.30pm; 10kn), a seventeenth-century building harbouring a display of mosaic fragments which once adorned the basilica floor. To the left of here is the octagonal Baptistry. The basilica itself is a rather bare structure, save for the wall
mosaics
above the altar which are studded with semi-precious gems, encrusted with mother-of-pearl and emblazoned everywhere with Euphrasius's personal monogram: he was, it's said, a notoriously arrogant man. The central part of the composition shows the Virgin enthroned with Child, flanked by a worldly Euphrasius holding a model of his church. Underneath are scenes of the
Annunciation
and
Visitation
, the latter surprisingly realistic, with the imaginative invention of a doltish eavesdropping servant.
Due east of the basilica is ul Dekumanska, which follows the line of the ancient Roman decumanus (main street) and opens out into a square busy with street artists and tourist traffic. The Porec Museum at ul Dekumanska 9 (daily 9am-noon & 4-7pm; 10kn), housed in the Baroque Sincic Palace, displays Greek and Roman finds from the surrounding area. Heading south, towards the end of the peninsula, you'll find the distinctive thirteenth-century Romanesque House , with an unusual projecting wooden balcony - a venue for art shows. Further on is Trg Marafor , with its remains of Roman temples to Mars and Neptune. Little is known about these and they're not much more than heaps of rubble really, the interesting parts having found their way into the town museum.
The
beaches
around the old town can get crowded. As an alternative, take a boat from the jetty next to the Marina (7am-midnight every 30min; 14kn) to the island of
Sveti Nikola
across the water, or walk south beyond the marina where pathways head along a rocky coastline shaded by gnarled pines. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Croatia (local Name: Hrvatska),
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