Small towns, especially very old ones, do have a certain attraction to photographers. Structures, old architecture, people and “street photography” are on their various bucket lists around the world. However, there are some places that are especially interesting – or beautiful in that sense. The small town Rovinj in the northern part of Croatia most certainly qualifies as such a spot and I was lucky to cross it off my bucket list recently.
Rovinj is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and its busy history goes back to the Byzantine Empire, probably due to the strategic location at the Adriatic Sea. Today there are roughly 13 000 people living in Rovinj and the main economic activity is tourism with peak season between May and September. There are many restaurant and bars in the old town, a tiny farmers market and unforgettable sunsets almost every day.
You can quite literally sit on the stones directly at the sea shore and enjoy a sundowner drink – in a bar, restaurant or simply on the main pier of Rovinj. The view is stunning wherever you go – at the shore or from the basilica in the centre of the old town. There even is a small (actually tiny) light house and a small harbour that set photographers’ hearts aflutter.
I stayed at a small place directly in the centre of the old town in one of the narrow streets with restaurants and bars around. Its busy at night but because parking is virtually impossible it seemed like a good idea. Many of the places in the old town also offer to rent a parking lot somewhere near for the time of your stay. This usually includes a short drive because there is no space for cars in the old town. Like no space whatsoever. But being able to explore Rovinj by foot during the different times and lighting conditions of the day is absolutely worth it.
While walking through the town I found a brilliant little shop that sells the many different olive oils of the region, which happens to be one of the best regions in the world for olive oil production. They also offer cheese, honey, wine from the local farmers around Rovinj and the best consultancy (in terms of olive oil) I have ever experienced. The first time I ever did a proper olive oil tasting – which sounds strange but it was fun and I learned a lot. With all the pictures (and olive oil) in my bag I headed back home with the promise to myself to come back to Rovinj soon.