Rovinj Travel Guide

Rovinj — Istria's Most Beautiful Secret

Rovinj was an island until 1763, when the channel separating it from the Istrian mainland was filled in. Today the peninsula still has the character of an island — the old town is a compact cluster of Venetian-era houses and narrow cobbled streets on a rocky headland, impossible to navigate by car and stunning to get lost in on foot. The town's characteristic skyline is defined by the cathedral tower of St Euphemia's Basilica, completed in 1736 and visible from most of the Istrian coast — a reference point for fishing boats and a landmark for anyone approaching Rovinj from the sea.

Rovinj is bilingual — Croatian and Italian are both official languages of the municipality, reflecting the town's history as a Venetian city until 1797, then Austrian until 1918, then Italian until 1945. Italian is widely spoken, Italian television is watched, and the cuisine reflects both cultures: Istrian fish dishes, pasta with truffles (Istria produces some of Europe's finest black and white truffles from the forests around Motovun and Buzet), and the excellent local olive oil from Istrian groves that have been cultivating since Roman times.

Offshore, the Rovinj archipelago contains 13 small islands and reefs — the nearest (St Catherine's Island, Sveta Katarina) is 5 minutes by water taxi and has a beach hotel and swimming platform. Further out, the Crveni Otok (Red Island) is one of Istria's most beautiful natural beaches. The snorkelling around the rock formations of the Rovinj islands is some of the best in Croatia north of Dalmatia.