A Roman giant on the Istrian coast
The amphitheatre in Pula, known simply as the Arena, is one of the six largest surviving Roman amphitheatres in the world and among the best preserved. Its outer wall still stands to its full height around almost the entire circuit, which gives it a completeness that the Colosseum in Rome, with half its outer ring missing, does not have. It dominates the northern edge of Pula's old town, and seeing it for the first time from the harbour road is memorable.
History in brief
Pula, the Roman colony of Pietas Iulia, was an important town in the province of Istria. A first amphitheatre was built here under Augustus, and the structure you see today was enlarged and completed in the second half of the 1st century AD under the emperor Vespasian and his successors. It hosted gladiatorial combat and other spectacles, and estimates of its original capacity range from about 20,000 to 23,000 spectators.
The Arena is elliptical, about 132 metres long and 105 metres wide, and the outer wall rises to around 32 metres on the seaward side, where the ground falls away and the building has three storeys of arches. One of its distinctive features is the four towers set into the outer wall, which once held water tanks and stairways. In later centuries much of the stone seating was taken away for building material, but the outer shell survived, partly thanks to Venetian officials who opposed proposals to dismantle it.
Visiting the Arena
The Arena is open every day, with longer hours in summer and shorter ones in winter: in recent years from 9:00 to 17:00 in the winter months and into the evening from spring onwards. Tickets are sold at the entrance. Opening hours change on days when concerts and events are being set up, so check the official Pula museums website or ticket office before you go.
Inside, you can walk around the arena floor, climb into what remains of the seating and look out through the arches over the harbour. Allow about an hour. Early morning and late afternoon are the most pleasant times in summer, when the stone is cooler and the light is softer.
The underground exhibition
Under the arena floor, the passages once used by gladiators and for the animals and stage machinery now house a permanent exhibition about ancient olive growing and winemaking in Istria. It includes reconstructed olive presses and mills and a collection of amphorae used to store and transport oil and wine. It is a good reminder that Roman Istria was rich because of its agriculture, and the cool underground halls are welcome on a hot day.
Concerts, film and events
The Arena is still a working venue. In summer it hosts concerts by international and Croatian artists, opera and classical performances, and the Pula Film Festival, Croatia's oldest film festival, which holds open-air screenings in the Arena each July. For events, the capacity is a few thousand, far fewer than in Roman times. Watching a concert or film under the stars here is one of the best things to do in Istria, so check the programme when you plan your trip.
The Arena has also hosted historical re-enactment shows featuring gladiator fights in summer, which are popular with families. Programmes vary from year to year.
Roman Pula beyond the Arena
Pula's old town has several other Roman monuments within a short walk. The Arch of the Sergii, a triumphal arch from the late 1st century BC, stands at the entrance to the main pedestrian street, Sergijevaca. The Forum, the old town's main square, still occupies the site of the Roman forum, and on it stands the Temple of Augustus, a small, elegant temple completed in the early 1st century AD. Nearby you can find the Twin Gates and the Gate of Hercules, and in a courtyard off Sergijevaca the floor mosaic known as the Punishment of Dirce.
Practical tips
Pula is easy to reach: it has an international airport, bus links to Zagreb and other Istrian towns, and a railway line north through Istria. In the old town, walk rather than drive, as parking is limited.
July and August are hot and crowded, and May, June, September and early October are the most comfortable months to visit. Wear comfortable shoes with grip, as the stone inside the Arena is uneven and can be slippery. If you visit on a concert day, the Arena may close to visitors earlier than usual, so plan your daytime visit accordingly.
