Let’s do another daily trip during your stay in our villas with pool in Istria! :) Did you know that in Istria there is one amazing national park? Brijuni Islands National Park are located on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula, near Pula. Brijuni Islands can be accessed easily by a short boat ride from a small and lovely town near Pula known for fishing and fishermen – Fazana.
These
14 magnificent islands of different sizes all together
form the beautiful National Park of Brijuni, one of the
8 Croatian national parks. The largest of the 14 islands is called
Veli Brijun (“great Brijun”) and one of the smaller ones
Mali Brijun (“small Brijun”).
What to do when on the Brijuni Islands? Our visit begins on Veli Brijun by taking a
tourist train. Brijuni Islands were already
inhabited in the prehistoric period. We are about to see the remains from the Roman times:
remains of the Roman villa rustica from the 1st century B.C. in the Bay of Verige.
There is also
safari park where you can see many
exotic animals walking around: llama, zebra, Somali sheep, dromedary, peacocks (also albino peacocks), elephant Lanka (gift from Indira Gandhi), … Local Istrian animals: Istrian ox, Istrian sheep and many others also live here. Exotic animals were brought to the park as
gifts from diplomatic partners when visiting Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia. You may also see Koki, Tito’s talking parrot. Tito’s personal summer residence was on Brijuni Islands. When on Veli Brijun, where Mediterranean flora dominates, check
the ancient olive tree. This is one of the oldest trees in the Mediterranean, probably about 1600 years old!
You can also visit the Church of St. Germain which features a permanent exhibition of copies of frescoes and Glagolitic writings from Istria. During summer there are theatre performances on Mali Brijun, in the Fort Minor. If you are a golf lover, playing golf in Istria on Brijuni Islands is a unique experience! It is also possible to discover the island by bike or on foot.
Before visiting Brijuni Islands National Park, it would be good to check their official website.
By staying in one of our amazing
villas with pool in Pula, you will have an opportunity to visit Brijuni Islands, which up until recently were available only to members of the aristocracy, the elite and presidents. And you can read more about the history of the Brijuni Islands in my next post soon. Until next time – bok! :)
Nikolina Mladic
31.10.2016
MY ISTRIA GUIDE
