Istria and Krk island
Istrian Peninsula
The Istrian peninsula is one of Croatia’s many peninsulas, but it differs from many others because it is located in the north of the country. It borders Slovenia and Italy. In general, the territory of the peninsula is shared by these three countries, but the majority (almost 90%) belongs to Croatia. Italians call the peninsula Istria.
The Istrian peninsula is the largest peninsula on the Adriatic Sea. In order to understand more about its dimensions, I will just mention the distance from Pula to the Slovenian border is around 60 kilometres, and to the Italian border 80 kilometres in a straight line (it will definitely be much more when driving on the road). Istria is also known for the fact that truffles grow there – mushrooms that are used as an addition to food, especially pasta dishes.
The largest city in the Croatian part is Pula, located in the very south of the peninsula, but the Slovenian city of Koper and the Italian city of Trieste are even larger.
Pula has less than 60,000 inhabitants, it is best known for the ancient Roman buildings that are still there. The Pula Amphitheatre is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres.
We didn’t spend much time on the peninsula, but we found a place selling truffle oil and other products made from truffles. It was worth a look and the prices were pleasantly different from those elsewhere in Europe.
Island of Krk
I started this story with the Istrian peninsula, but the trip itself on this occasion was to the island of Krk. Croatians love these combinations of letters; a popular tourist attraction with a similar name is the Krka National Park in Dalmatia, known for its impressive cascades of waterfalls.
The first, one might even say shocking, impression was driving across a huge bridge to the island (this bridge has tolls). The view and the feelings were grand. Although there were no less impressive views before the bridge, when we went down the rocky serpentines to access the bridge ramp. The only thing that can be said is that people with imagination worked hard to come up with such an engineering masterpiece.
The island of Krk differs from many other Croatian islands because it is a very green, it is also the most populated island in the Adriatic Sea. About 20 thousand people live on the island.
Like many territories in Europe, Krk was once part of the Roman Empire, but later it was included in the Byzantine Empire. At the beginning of the eleventh century, the island was conquered by the Venetians and, with a short break at the beginning of the 12th century, it was part of the Republic of Venice for the next seven centuries.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Krk belonged to Austria and Italy for a while, but since the Second World War it belongs to Croatia.
The aforementioned bridge to the island of Krk was built in 1980 and is one of the longest reinforced concrete bridges in the world (its length is 1.4 kilometres).
Although the beaches are mostly rocky, the island of Krk is very popular among tourists. It is located in the north of the Adriatic Sea, so tourists from Germany and Austria can get there very quickly (less than a four-hour drive from the south of Austria).
Rijeka Airport is located on the island, although Rijeka itself is on the mainland. Rijeka is the third largest city in Croatia.
The island has quite a long and interesting history, but the main purpose of visiting it is to relax by the sea, so this time, that’s all – pack your suitcase and go yourself to enjoy it.