City of Rovinj

Rovinj is the place with the least cloudy days in the Adriatic, and that''s the best possible welcome. Rovinj archipelago counts 22 islands, St. Andrew and St Catherine are biggest and most beautiful. Town has two parts: Rovinj - Rovigno and Rovinj Village - Villa di Rovigno.

 

The islands and mainland from the islands of St. John to two Sisters, sea and underwater channel of Lim, Park Forest Punta Corrente, swamp Palud, Romualdo''s cave on the south side and canal Lim quarry, "Cave di Monfiorenzo" a geological "natural monument" are especially worthy to visit.

 

Trademark of Rovinj is St. Euphemia cathedral with the tower bell which stands above the city and its 15 000 inhabitants, national heritage since 1963. The legend says that during a stormy night the marble coffin containing the remains of the Saint disappeared from Constantinople. In the same year (800) by a miracle it arrived at Rovinj. The local story says that the inhabitants tried tremendously hard to pull the coffin out from the sea all day. Finally, a young boy pulled it out with a pair of young calves. Another version of the story says that it was a poor widow who moved the coffin. The coffin is transferred within the walls and ground-fortress near the old church of St. George.

What to see? The town itself was declared a cultural monument in 1963. The limited space in Rovinj led to the construction of narrow buildings, streets and small town squares. Of particular interest in this town centre are the characteristically designed chimneys. The baptismal font of the Holy Spirit has been constructed in a heptagonal shape and is the oldest relic situated in the Lokva Square. The thirteenth century Romanesque church which houses the font is also interesting because of the detailed carvings of the transenna depicting scenes of Golgotha.

 

The Franciscan Monastery and church in De Amicis street were built at the beginning of the eighteenth century in Baroque style and contains a rich library and fascinating museum of sacral artifacts. The Rovinj islands and mainland: These natural sights have been justly described as "outstanding scenic wonders," because of the pristine beauty of the indented coastline and its forests, consisting of pedunculate oak and Alpine pine trees. This area "of outstanding natural beauty" extends from St. Ivan promontory to Barbariga, including all the Rovinj islands and the mainland 500 meters from the shore line.