Lazy Days in Rovinj

Sunday 13 and Monday 14 September

The old town of Rovinj viewed from the habour

Rovinj is reputedly one of the top beauty spots in Croatia and it certainly is charming, not to mention popular.  We woke to another sunny morning and after a bit of a lie-in Stef went out to fetch coffee and croissants from the little bakery in the street.  We added some of our fruit and had a lovely breakfast overlooking the water.  Jess and Stef were itching to get in some sun/sea time we walked down the street to the row of tourist shops opposite the cruise ship terminal and purchased foam mats to make sunbaking on the rocks a little more comfy. I was happy to explore the town while they took advantage of the sunny morning.

Seaside restaurants, Rovinj

I took the path to the other side of the peninsula and then made my way around the marina for some of the best views of the town.  Lots of boat excursions on offer - maybe tomorrow.  The buildings along the waterfront are an amazing array of colours which are so vibrant in the bright sunshine.

Harbourside, Rovinj

Cafes line the harbour so I stopped off for a cappuccino on my expedition to the other side of the harbour.  There are a number of little, tree-covered islands just offshore - mostly uninhabited.   Such a jolly atmosphere here - the tourists are very laid back and stroll along at a very slow pace, taking in the 360 degree views.  Rovinj continues on around the bay and inland quite some way with newer areas which are home to some of the 14,000 inhabitants.  I am sure there are at least that number of tourists here a well.

The colours of Rovinj

After lots of camera action around the waterfront I headed up a narrow street which turned out to be one of the main shopping thoroughfares and led to the top of the hill (where sit the church and a small park).  The street was crowded, as were the little lanes leading off in every direction - very quaint and cool away from the bright sunshine

Little streets of Rovinj

.  It was fun to poke about in the shops - locally made precious stone jewellery seems to be the dominating offering, but there are also numerous art galleries, stores selling lavender products and soaps, truffle oil shops and of course clothing shops (the usual market style fashions which all seem to come from Italy).  Rovinj was once an Italian occupied town (Rovigno) and the influence of Italy is strong - many of the locals speak Italian as well as Croatian (and English).
Eventually I tired of hill climbing and window shopping so I took myself back to the apartment with a cheesy roll for a snack and enjoyed a couple of hours rest and reading on the balcony.  Many people  were standing on the edge of the terminal wharf to take photos so I am sure I will be in lots of holiday photos, just chilling on my balcony!

Our house, viewed from the terminal wharf (the 2 balconies below the washing line!

Jess and Stefano arrived back after a day of swimming, sunbathing, lunching at the worst restaurant in town (according to them) - Stefano is very fussy and quite critical so our eating out experiences have been excellent on this trip.  Somehow he missed the mark this time.  Jess spent a while on Trip Advisor and came up with a couple of likely places for dinner.  The tourist menu places all seem to be along the waterfront but tucked away in the little hilly streets were some highly rated restaurants so we set off to find a place that would serve great food and have a nice vibe.  Our first choice, Typico was booked out so we wandered down the hill a bit to Balbi.  It looked full to overflowing but the rather flustered head waiter promised us an outside table in a few minutes.  Seeing the delicious looking plates of food arriving at the tables, we were happy to wait and it wasn't too long before we were ordering from the extensive menu.  Seafood pasta of course for Stef, a scrumptious vegetable risotto for me and vegetarian pasta for Jess, with excellent local wine to accompany the meal.  Although the dishes have a strong Italian influence, the flavours and presentation are uniquely Croatian and really delicious.  All for the princely sum of 28 euros (the conversion is on the docket). We were very pleased with our reasonably priced and top quality meal.  After dinner a stroll around the harbour, a stop for gelato and then home.  Jess and Stef went out again for a little while to sample the night life and I was happy to fall into bed - such a pretty comfortable bedroom and a great view out over the water.

Colourful street, Rovinj

The next morning was a little overcast but still very warm when we ventured out for coffee by the water.  The skies cleared after we had another excursion around the shops - bought some earrings and a pretty necklace, a couple of funky posters (for the kids) and some truffle olive oil (for Lu).  It was back to the beach for a while for Jess and Stef and I climbed the hill to the church from where there are pretty good views up and down the coast.

View from the top of the hill - looking out to some of the islands off  Rovinj

Jess booked a table at Typico ( the restaurant that had been full the night before) and we again headed back to the apartment to chill out for a while before the evening activities.  A thunderstorm passed over so we were glad to have booked an inside table at Typico.  Another fabulous meal and also very reasonably priced.  Croatia is certainly proving to be good value.  We had decided against a boat trip - the sea was a bit choppy today.  A small cruise ship (Le Lyrial, newest ship of the French Ponant Line, just launched this year) had docked across from our apartment and the town was full of visitors.

Le Lyrial docked at the shipping terminal

 We didn't see the ship leave during the evening but in the morning it was gone.  Looked very swish!
Rovinj has been a delight to visit - it is exceptionally picturesque and although quite touristy, there are little nooks and crannies to escape to and enjoy the architecture, the colours, the sea and the lush vegetation that has become so familiar on the Istrian Peninsula.

A quiet corner of Rovinj - near out apartment

 Until 1763, when the channel was filled in, Rovinj was an island and earliest settlement was in the 1st or 2nd centuries AD.  It has been part of the Roman, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian and  Austrian Empires, and more recently ruled by fascist Italy and the former state of Yugoslavia.  In 1992, Croatia became independent and Rovinj is now a major tourist town in this country with its abundance of seaside and island locations which are so popular with visitors.  A truly enchanting place to spend a few days!

Sunset viewing- Rovinj