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by Andrew Mercer

Rovinj (or Rovingo as the Italians call it) is the jewel of Croatia's Istrian coast.

It has an interesting and picturesque old town dominated by a Venetian style church and bell tower, the town was an important port developed by the Venetians and its Italian population only departed after the end of World War II. Even now it is not uncommon to hear the locals say "Ciao" and "Boun Giorno" when greeting each other eve though Croatian is the language spoken. This part of Croatia is fascinating for its cultural and ethnic diversity, it has one foot in the west and another firmly planted in the traditions of eastern Europe. Virtually every invader has passed through this region on their way to conquests, Napoleon, the Romans, the Venetians, the Austro-Hungarians.. you name them they are likely to have come through Istria.

The old town has many artist ateliers, galleries and craft workshops and is interesting to visit. There are a number of very attractive bars and restaurants located in the old town but with outlooks onto the beautiful Adriatic, there are also a number of bars which serve drinks to customers seated on the rocks by the sea.

This part of Croatia being only an hours drive from Italy was untouched by the Balkan War and is now becoming an important Mediterranean resort, as the many large yachts mooring in the harbor testify. In the town we found prices inflated to French and Italian levels but it is clear that the local workers are on a fraction of their French and Italian counterparts, so some people are making a lot money. Many goods have no price tags and the rule appears to be "get as much as you can for it".

Venice is an easy day excursion from here, so this is another reason to visit.

The biggest downside is the lack of beaches. We are not particularly beach lovers but it is nice to have the option. The coast is rocky (Venice is built of white Istrian limestone) and we saw quite a few people coming out of the sea nursing cuts. But this is certainly a mecca for boating, fishing and water sports. Many cruise liners and fancy yachts were passing through on their Mediterranean cruises with Dubrovnik to the south and Venice to the north Rovinj is a stopping off point for many rich and famous visitors. The coast is dotted with inlets and hundreds of small islands (many are populated) and is very attractive to explore by boat.

The tourists we met came from many countries, Germans and Italians being the majority but also Russians, Hungarians, Swiss, Austrians and surprisingly a lot of Dutch, even quite a few Americans.

The Croatians seem friendly enough but have a manner which is not very familiar to Americans and western Europeans. They can seem quite abrupt and even unfriendly but the more we got to know them the more friendly they became.

We stayed at the large Hotel Park directly across the harbor from the old town and it was pleasant enough. Some of the staff worked liked Trojans and were very professional while others appeared to have little to do. There are certainly echoes of the Communist past in the way they do things IMO they have some catching up to do with other Mediterranean countries in terms of professional management and service levels. I would class the hotel as good but not outstanding. The hotels location is excellent overlooking the old town.

If you are looking to base yourself in Rovinj for a vacation then a week is certainly long enough. If you are touring in this interesting and culturally diverse area then Rovinj is certainly worth a visit.

My Pictures from Rovinj can be found here.. http://www.artistrising.com/ga lleries/apmercer
http://www.zaz zle.com/apmercer*

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