Rovinj (Rovigno in Italian) is coastal Istria’s star attractive feature. Although it can get overrun with tourists in summer, and inhabitants are growing a bright eye for raising earnings by improving hotels and restaurants to four star status, it keeps to be one of the last true Mediterranean fishing ports. Fishers draw their catch into the harbour in the early morning, followed by a bunch of screeching gulls, and patch their nets before lunch. Prayers for a great catch are sent forth at the massive Church of St Euphemia, with its sixty meter-high tower punctuating the peninsula. Wooded hills and low-rise hotels surround the old town interconnected by steep, cobbled streets and piazzas. The 13 green, offshore islands of the Rovinj archipelago make for a pleasant afternoon away, and you can swim from the rocks in the sparkling water below Hotel Rovinj. Read the rest of this entry »