3 Best Sights in Pula, Istria

Designed to accommodate 23,000 spectators, Pula's Arena is the sixth-largest building of its type in the world (after the Colosseum in Rome and similar arenas in Verona, Catania, Capua, and Arles). Construction was completed in the 1st century AD under the reign of Emperor Vespasian, and the Romans staged gladiator games here until such bloodthirsty sports were forbidden during the 5th century. It has remained more or less intact, except for the original tiers of stone seats and numerous columns that were hauled away for other buildings. Today it is used for summer concerts (by musicians including Sting, Robbie Williams, Imagine Dragons, and Jose Carreras), opera performances, and the annual film festival in mid-July. The underground halls house a museum with large wooden oil presses and amphorae.

The central scene of this large and lovely 3rd-century mosaic—which otherwise features geometric patterns, animals, and plants aplenty—is of the punishment of Dirce, who, according to Greek legend, lies under the enraged bull to whose horns she is about to be fastened. Once part of a Roman house, the mosaic was unearthed after World War II bombings.

The mosaic can be viewed for free by looking down through a grate beside an uninspiring apartment building a stone's throw from the Chapel of St. Mary of Formosa.

Built by the Sergi family between 29 and 27 BC as a monument to three relatives who were great warriors, this striking monument features elaborate reliefs that even inspired Michelangelo to draw the arch during a 16th-century visit to Pula. The surrounding city gate and walls were removed in the 19th century to allow the city's expansion beyond the Old Town. Locals call it Zlatna vrata, or Golden Gate.