There are six large Roman amphitheaters in the world. The Pula Arena apparently is the best preserved and still in use. It is big. It is the only remaining amphitheater that still has its side towers, four of them, in good condition. It was constructed somewhere between 27 and 68 BC and it is the country's best preserved ancient monument.

The exterior walls are of limestone. The arena was built at the base of a hill, on sloping ground. For this reason, the seaward-facing side has three stories. The opposite side has only two. The maximum height is 96 feet. The lower two floors have 72 arches. The topmost floor has 64 rectangular, window-like openings.

The arena could hold up to 23,000 spectators seated. The arena itself had 15 gates. Underground corridors ran underneath the arena. Animals, ludi (games), scenery and gladiators could be conducted through the tunnels. The seating was raked. There was room underneath for shops and stores. The arena was on the Gladiator circuit.

Each of the four towers held fresh water. The water was perfumed and fed into fountains to refresh the crowd. Large sail-like cloths called valaria shaded spectators from the sun or rain. A system of channels and canals below the arena carried off rainwater or effluent.

The colosseum was outside the city walls, on the Via Flavia. Emperors Augustus, Claudius, Vespasian and Titus each had a hand in enlarging and improving the Amphitheater. It was finally finished in 81 AD under the reign of Titus. The amphitheater was in popular use until the 5th century, when the Emperor Honorius forbade gladiatorial combats.

The arena today is a venue for concerts, operas, ballets, sports and the Pula Film Festival.

Located in the heart of Pula Centar, Tito’s Park stands as a serene oasis amidst the city's hustle and bustle. This park offers a tranquil escape where visitors can enjoy the simple pleasures of nature, like listening to the rustling leaves and watching children play gleefully.

One of the park's standout features is the comforting shade provided by its age-old trees, making it a perfect retreat from the scorching summer sun of Pula. Families, particularly those with young children, will appreciate the well-equipped playground complete with swings and slides, making it a child's paradise.

Established in the 1950s at one of the city's busiest intersections, Tito’s Park is not only a recreational area but also a memorial park. It features an impressive monument by sculptor Vanja Radauš commemorating fallen soldiers and several busts representing national heroes.

The park serves as an ideal gathering place, especially under the old plane trees. In the morning, it is common to see people taking leisurely walks or relaxing, while in the evenings, the park often resonates with modern music. This combination of relaxation and vibrancy makes it a popular meeting spot for young people and visitors alike.

Additionally, the park is known for its diversity of colors and plants, enhancing its natural beauty. It also houses a scale model of the city, serving as a starting point for many sightseeing tours of Pula.

Tito’s Park stands as a testament to Pula’s commitment to preserving green spaces within its urban landscape. Its meticulously maintained grounds and lush greenery offer a delightful experience for both locals and tourists, making it one of Pula's top parks.

They are two handsome gates that seem to lead to no place in particular. They are called Dvojna grata, or Porta Gemina, or the Twin Gates of Pula. It is a double arched gate. It was one of the ten city gates of Pula when Pula was surrounded by walls. The Twin Gates and a piece of the wall joining it to Giardin Square can be seen today.

At some time in the middle ages the gates were buried underground. They were unearthed only recently in geologic time. Apparently they had been two gates leading into the town in the 2nd or 3rd century. It looked like they had been used to replace an earlier gate.

A memorial plate was found when the gates were discovered. It was inscribed with the name Lucius Menacius Priscis. Lucius had funded a part of the town's water supply. There was no connection with the gates but the plate was set on top the arches anyway. It's nice to be remembered.

The two openings of the gate are framed with three semi-columns with composite capitals. A stone wreath above enhances the overall composition. The slats used to lower the portcullis are kept intact. A part of an octagonal mausoleum of the 3rd century AD was discovered with the twin gates.

Today the gates lead to the Archeological Museum of Pula, to the Castle and the small Roman Theater.

Standing before the Italian section of Pula is, appropriately enough, the ancient Gate of Hercules. Like the Twin Gates of Pula, it too was only recently dug up (in the 19th century). The gate is made of rough cut stone blocks. On top of the blocks is a very rough image of Mr. Hercules. We know it's him, we see his beard and his club.

A moderately damaged inscription is next to the club. It contains the names of two big-time Romans, Lucius Calpurnius Piso and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Lucius was Julius Caesar's father-in-law. Gaius was the brother of Bad Cassius, who killed Julius Caesar. The two gentlemen were in town to officially found a Roman colony in Pula Bay.

The gate is 13 feet high and the entrance is 12 feet wide. Hercules was thought to be the guardian of ancient Pula. After Octavian demolished Pula, he allowed the town to be rebuilt at his daughter Julia's request. A Latin inscription on the gate can be translated in English as "Colony Loyal Julia Pula by the Strength of Hercules." The Romans, the Saints and the demigod Hercules were working for Pula all along.

One of the greatest naval engagements in ancient history was the Battle of Actium. Octavian faced the forces of Cleopatra and Antony in their bid for the power of Rome. Octavian's ships destroyed his enemies' formations. One of the winners that day was Lucius Sergius Lepidus, a tribune of the 29th Legion. In 27 BC an arch in Pula was erected in his honor.

The arch honors the family Sergii as well as Lucius. The Sergii were a powerful family of the Roman colony in Pula. The triumphal arch was built on the facade of a gate in the city walls called Golden Gate (Porta Aurea). An Inscription declares the arch was financed by Salvia Postuma Sergia, the wife of Lucius.

The names of the father and uncle of Lucius are also inscribed on the arch. Initially, statues of the two older men flanked the statue of Lucius on the top of the monument. A frieze depicts ornamental cupids, garlands and bucrania, the heads of sacrificial bulls. The arch has two corinthian columns and winged victories in the spandrels.

Seen from the town side, a hellenistic style relief shows a scene of a war chariot and horses. The arch was well known in the Renaissance. It influenced many artists, including Michelangelo and Piranesi.

Ancient Pula was no hick town. It had theaters. It had at least three. There was the town's amphitheater and the large Roman theater outside the city walls on the slopes of Mount Zara. This one has been lost in the sands of time, but the small theater, inside the city walls, is still there today. It is on the slope below the Castle of Pula.

Go back in time, to the 1st century AD. Take a look at the small theater. The theater is divided into a stage area called the proscenium, where the acting happened. The enclosure held the seating and viewing area. The seating was on a slope, a common feature of Greek theaters of the time. The capacity was between four and five thousand theater lovers.

Five thousand people was the entire population of Pula in those days. Come back to the present. A great part of the small theater fades away. Only the foundations of the stage and some of the semi-circular viewing area still remain. In front of the theater is the Archeological Museum. Pula is still a cosmopolitan town.

In 1209, Pope Innocent III, a firm believer that the papacy was the political Sun and everything else was not, gave his consent for the newly formed Franciscan order to set up shop in the town of Pula. The Franciscans eventually established a church and monastery on the western slope of Pula hill, below the fortress and above the Forum.

Several dates are given for the construction of the church, ranging from 1291 to 1314. It was completed by Jacobus de Pola, a Franciscan Brother and architect. He is believed to have also had a hand in the design of the Communal Palace of Pula.

The style of the church is Romanesque with Gothic accents. The design follows the architectural Narbonne rules of 1260. The floor plan is rectangular. The sanctuary is square. There is a single-walled bell tower looming over the roof. There is a connecting cloister, a hall, a refectory and sacristy joining the monastery and choir.

In keeping with the views of a mendicant order, the buildings were simple, nothing fancy and skillfully made. On the main altar is a gilded 15th century polyptych. The center panel holds a high relief of the Virgin Mary and Christ. Twelve disciples are depicted surrounding the center. Gothic phials are at the ends of the piece.

The monastery cloister has Renaissance pillars. In the front of the church is a lapidarium with a collection of wall paintings and medieval monuments. Buried in the Church are the remains of Blessed Otto. He arrived in Pula around 1235. He is credited with many miraculous healings. He died in 1241. He is venerated in Pula to this day.

The history of Pula is in its main square, the Forum Square. Pula was officially founded in 44 BC by one Cassius Longinus, brother to the infamous Cassius, assassin of Julius Caesar and by Lucius Calpurnius Piso, Julius Caesar's father-in-law.

The forum of Pula was a venue for public events, politics, religion, and commerce. The square originally measured 128 feet (39 meters) by 269 feet (82 meters). In the north side of the forum were temples dedicated to the Roman gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.

Only the temple of Augustus from about 14 AD has been perfectly preserved. Parts of the other temples may be found in the back wall of the Communal Palace, built in the 13th century. The Pula Forum continued to be the town's main square throughout the middle ages.

In the Venetian era, the Communal Palace replaced the temples of the gods. It would be used as the governmental center. The Temple of Diana had served as a town hall since the 9th century. The core date of the Communal Palace is 1296, the time when Pula became a free municipality. The Palace remains the seat of government today.

The structure of the Palace shows a mixture of styles. The east walls show combined Romanesque and Gothic elements. The sculptures of Telemon and Siren in corners flanked by Renaissance columns and Baroque windows mark the latest changes to the Communal Palace. Having been neglected for centuries, the Palace is now restored and it is today a popular tourist attraction.

Sitting next to the Communal Palace in the Forum Square of Pula, is the Temple of Augustus. "To Rome and Augustus Caesar, son of the deity, father of the fatherland", the sign once hammered into the temple walls said. Augustus had been a god. Only the nail holes of the bronze sign remain.

Augustus had to wait until after his death in AD 15 to be diefied. The temple was actually built in 2 AD. The building is lavishly decorated. It is built on a podium with a tetrastyle prostyle porch having Corinthian columns with friezes. The overall dimensions are 26 feet by 57 feet in area and 46 feet in height.

The temple originally was one of three. It was located on the left side of the main central temple. The Temple of Diana stood on the opposite side. The main temple has not survived intact, while the back wall of the Temple of Diana was incorporated into the Communal Palace, built in 1296.

The temple of Augustus was closed after the persecution of pagans began in the 4th century. When Pula came under Byzantine rule in the 8th century, the temple was converted into a church dedicated to Mary. In the 17th century, under Venetian rule, the temple was incorporated into a complex of neighboring buildings on the square.

The interior of the temple is a small museum of tombstones and Roman sculptures. These were discovered during excavations of the colony Pietas Lulia, by Napoleonic General Auguste de Marmont, governor of the Illyrian Provinces. Traces of frescoes can be seen on the interior walls.

The Temple today is a lapidarium. For a good look at Pula's Roman beginnings, this is a main destination.