Poreč

Inhabited already in the prehistory, in the 2nd century BC, Poreč became a Roman castrum and in the 1st century AD it became the Roman colony - Colonia Iulia Parentium.
The layout of the Roman castrum is still recognized in the present lay-out of the streets of Poreč. It has one of the most magnificent early Byzantine churches in Europe called Euphrasius’ Basilica after Euphrasius, the Bishop of Poreč who in the 6th century commissioned the building of a grandiose three-nave basilica on the site of an earlier church. In 1997 the entire complex of Euphrasiana (church, baptistery, atrium and the former Bishop’s Palace) was entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The architectural complex, beside basilica, includes the chapel with three apses, baptistery and bishop''s palace. The whole old city of Porec is monument of culture. The old city has preserved the structure of old Roman castrum. The main streets, Decumanus and Cardo Maximus, are still preserved in their original forms. Decumanus connected the square Marafor in the western part of old city with city gates at its eastern end. Roman Forum with temples to Roman gods was located on the Marafor square. There is still today a Romanic house and a few beautiful Venetian gothic palaces. The Istrian Assembly Hall, originally a 13th century gothic Franciscan church, was remade in baroque style in the 18th century. Porec was surrounded with fortification walls from 12th to 19th century. Three defense towers still exist at the entrance of the old city.
In surroundings of Poreč you can find many prehistoric hillforts (Anđeo, Picugi), remains of the Roman villas (Červar-Porat, Zelena laguna), a few interesting and valuable sacral buildings (the church of St. Mary on Božje polje, the remains of the Benedictine monastery of St. Michael above Lim, the small church of St. Jakov in Bačva, etc.), and medieval , picturesque small towns like Sveti Lovreč Pazetinački, Vižinata and Vižnjan.

Today - the City region is a 142 km2 and it has about 18.900 residents. The hilly landscape is rich with Mediterranean vegetation. The scenery constantly changes; now you see plough lands, now vineyards and olive groves, oak trees and pine tree groves that often extend almost to the sea. The shore with the islands is 37 km long. Istria is quite low and hilly around Porec, covered with luxuriant vegetation and forests of pins that often reach all the way to the sea. More than 200 villages that surround Porec have mostly retained their original Istrian style. Funtana and Vrsar are a part of south Porec region, with a sport airport in Vrsar. Višnjan, Vižinada, Sv. Lovreč and Kaštelir are located east of Porec, in a region of vineyards and olive fields. Tourist centers of Porec are Lanterna, Ulika, Červar-Porat, Materada, Brulo, Plava Laguna, Zelena Laguna and Bijela Uvala. Porec enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate. Summers are delightfully warm, with low humidity and more than 10 hours of sun daily. The sea temperature in the summer can reach up to 28°C, more than in south Adriatic.

Poreč has been known as a destination offering numerous sports activities.
There are around twenty sports centres along the coast. Most of them can be found within the vicinity of tourist complexes, hotels and camps. Guest have, at their disposal, courts and equipment for over 30 different sports, on land, at sea and in the air. There are over a hundred tennis clay courts along in Poreč riviera, numerous basketball courts, volleyball grounds, boccie fields, mini golf grounds. Along the coast, from Lanterna across Porec and Funtana to Vrsar, a few diving clubs are active. Scuba diving clubs offer attractive submarine locations, wreckages of sunken ships, submarine natural phenomena etc. Scooters, sail boats, windsurf boards, row boats, motor boats, canoes, paddle boats and jet skis can be rented. In the vicinity of Poreč there are many karting racetracks as well as riding oasis offering horse-back riding, recreational riding schools and competitions, training and professional riding excursions lasting several days. Those of a more adventurous inclinations can opt for parachuting, paragliding or balloon flights over an incredibly diverse landscape in good weather conditions continue to attract an ever increasing number of flying enthusiasts to Croatia. Paintball lovers can enjoy the beautiful countryside incorporated into paintball paintball "war fields".
Porec has it all.