History

Arena Pula, a Roman amphitheater located in Pula is one of the most famous structures in Croatia. It is also among the six largest Roman amphitheaters in the whole world. What is also amazing is that is located right next to the sea, overlooking the city harbor and the old city. Even more fascinating is the fact that it was built in the 1st century during the reign of the emperor Vespasian. All this time it preserved all four side towers. Many gladiator fights took place there in ancient times, cheered by more than 20.000 spectators.

Every kid´s dream come true

I still remember my first visit with my parents when I was a child. I was amazed by how big it was. Always when I came home I was asking my friends: “Do you know what is Arena Pula? It is a Roman amphitheater! ” Dimensions of 132 with 105 meters, and more than 30 meters height, will for sure leave you breathless. When it comes to the material itself, it was completely built from local limestone.

What I even appreciated more at that time is the fact that is open daily for visits. You can visit all the parts of it. There are also underground passages which are also free to visit. They are truly remarkable as they host different kinds of exhibitions. If you have seen Gladiator movie with Russel Crow, probably you remember that those passages were once used by gladiators for their preparation before their fights. Nowadays exhibitions there are mostly focused on viticulture and tradition of olive growing in ancient times. You can also see many old reconstructed machines used during the whole lifecycle of producing wine and olive oil. Once produced, they were stored and transported in ancient amphoras and you can also find a big collection of them.

Events today in Arena Pula

Visting Arena during the day is special, but experiencing one of the events in Arena Pula, a Roman amphitheater during the night is magnificent. Today Arena hosts many different events like concerts, and movies and music festivals. I also remember one hockey match that took place in the middle of Summer. There are countless stars that had concerts there like Elton John, Tom Jones, and Gloria Gaynor. The current capacity today is around 5.000. In summer be sure also to visit Spectacvla Antiqva. This is an evening show, normally once a week that replicates Roman gladiator fights. All actors are dressed accordingly, and Roman-style foods and drinks are being served.

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