Written by Nancy.
The Roman Amphitheater in Pula Croatia
A must see stop when in Istria.
The Istrian Peninsula is full of evidence and influence from its history under Venetian rule. The Roman Amphitheater Pula Croatia is like a mini Colosseum.
View of the Amphitheater from the harbor parking area. You can also see the bell tower off to the right. Pula is a busy city with lots of traffic, and as you can imagine, the area around the amphitheater is full of tourists and tour buses. While there is a lot parking, it can be tricky finding a spot because it fills up quickly. I would recommend getting there earlier in the morning to avoid the crowds.
There are many Roman amphitheaters scattered around Europe and north Africa. This one in Pula is the sixth largest and one of best preserved.
It is quite impressive and larger than I expected. We enjoyed walking all around it and taking photos.
You can see the stage set up inside the amphitheater. These days, this amazing setting is used for concerts, plays, and even hockey games. It now has seating for 5000 people, but originally it is thought that it could accommodate 23,000. Whoa!
The amphitheater has been used for many things through the years. Gladiator fights, combats between convicts and wild animals, tournaments by knights, and medieval fairs, are some recorded uses.
View through the arches of the amphitheater, to the harbor beyond.
Beautiful, inspiring, and historically fascinating.
I am always amazed with the structures the (so called ancients) were able to construct. You guys are SO fortunate to experience all that you are living over there during your BIG adventure. Your travels are like a Master’s Degree in education. I bet you all feel a bunch smarter. Right??
Love Grand parents in T-O-T.
Yes, I couldn’t agree more! This has been an amazing adventure and learning experience! We do indeed feel very fortunate!
I’m sure they do feel smarter because they’ve even made ME feel smarter from reading their blog.
Thanks Susan, we love learning new things and sharing. I read once that “if you are not learning and growing daily, that you are dying.” That statement struck a cord in my thinking. I had never thought of it that way before.