Istria Peninsula, Here I Go Again

“I’ve been cheated on by you since I don't know when. So I made up my mind, it must come to an end.” Mamma Mia! is a smash-hit English musical, following a young bride-to-be Sophie who invites 3 men to her wedding, to figure out who her father is. Featuring the songs of ABBA, this romance movie took place in Croatia to create the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi.

Hum

Legend has it that giants built Hum from rocks left after building other towns in the valley of the river Mirna. The basic outlines of the city can be dated back from the 11th century, while the crucial changes happened in the 16th and 17th centuries, during the Venetian period. Small as it is, Hum still contains administrative facilities for public affairs and has its own mayor.

In the Venetian times, the loggia and the stone table were the heart of this city's public life, discussing the public issues. Regarded as the world's smallest town, Hum is one of the most important glagolitic centers. One can find glagolitic artifacts such as the Hum graffito in the Church of St. Jerome, and the glagolitic inscriptions on the ground floor of the Polača. 

Rovinj

Within an egg-shaped peninsula, its old town webs with steep cobbled streets and small squares. Originally an island, it was only connected to the mainland in 1763 when the narrow channel separating it was filled. As Istria's star attraction, even without a lot of actual sights, it remains an intensely charming place, and gets overrun with tourists in summer.

St Euphemia’s Church, the largest baroque church in Istria, was built from 1725 to 1736. Due to her religion, Euphemia was martyred under the Diocletian regime. She was once placed in the arena, yet the lions licked her wound. It is believed that she died from a bear wound, and her unmovable body could only be transported to the hill by a boy with calves.

Pula

Dive in the Istria Peninsula, where the Romans conquered in 178 BC and went mad building different landmarks. Overlooking the harbor northeast of the old town, Roman Amphitheatre is the sixth largest of its kind, which can host gladiatorial contests with 20 k spectators. To dedicate the first Roman Emperor, the Temple of Augustus was built during his reign.

There are 2 legends regarding the amphitheater. One said Augustus built it for his mistress who was living in the small city Pula. Another referred to the latin word “ărēna”, which indicates sand of stalls. Fairies built it yet they could not finish the dome before they left in dawn. Anyway, do not forget to go cafe-hopping in the square next to the famous Temple of Augustus.

Good things come in small packages. Even the size of Croatia does not rank in the top 20 among Europe, over a thousand islands shimmer in the Adriatic coastline. We found Wonderland. You and I got lost in it.

Title: Mamma Mia!

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Year: 2008

Region: UK, USA, Germany

Genre: Jukebox Musical, Rom Com

Score: 6/10

Title: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Director: Ol Parker

Year: 2018

Region: UK, USA

Genre: Jukebox Musical, Rom Com

Score: 6/10