November 30, 2020 - On a small hill with a beautiful view of Marina Veruda, a super luxury villa in Pula is emerging, which the owners Paola Crevatini Rebsamen and her husband Armand Rebsamen called Seven Hills. The name is clear when it is known that Pula was built on seven hills, and this is exactly how this enterprising Croatian-Swiss duo, currently with a permanent address in Switzerland, wanted to pay tribute to the hometown of Paola, which has returned to its roots.

"Speaking of history, even the name of the Seven Hills villa takes into account the position of Pula on seven hills, which was also the inspiration for the project. It is a private design villa with seven rooms for individual rent in the season with breakfast for guests and an indispensable view of the marina. The main idea of ​​the project was the connection between nature and architecture. The organic form enlivens the villa and gives privacy to all guests. The orientation is towards the marina in order to make the most of the position. An important element in the whole project is the surrounding nature in the domain of design and form of the project, and the construction will use local, natural materials such as Istrian stone, olive, and wood, combining modern design with historical elements", explains Paola. 

Her husband, an award-winning architect, designed this unusual villa, which should be finished in the autumn of next year. The main project is signed by Studio Basic from Pula.

"The heart of the villa will be the central room where, in addition to breakfast, guests will be able to socialize or relax. So, guests will have breakfast service and service in general. Her main asset is the rooftop bar overlooking the marina. We designed the interior design ourselves, and we have gathered inspiration over the years on our many travels. Namely, my husband and I have visited more than 40 countries together", says Paola, who explains that the villa will be dominated by boho-chick, but luxurious.

A good part of the furniture will be made to measure, like a huge olive table. Paola points out that she will complement everything with interesting design details. However, it is important that this architecture raises the offer of Pula to a higher level because there is nothing similar in the largest Istrian city at the moment. The fact is that the villa will be intended for guests who want to feel like they have come home, lovers of architecture and design, gourmets, and lovers of life in general.

As reported by Jutarnji list, the luxury villa in Pula is ideal for a vacation in a quiet oasis, and yet in the center. But other than them, Paola will host women traveling the world with her here. Namely, Paola is a reputable marketing expert who has worked for global companies such as Unilever, Microsoft, and eBay, and is also involved in travel blogging and has her platform on Instagram called Femmetravel. She has also organized specialized holistic trips for women through her Miss Adventure platform for years. These are trips for smaller groups of women that Paola encourages to start their own companies, projects, create content, and entrepreneurship. She also organizes the Miss Adventure Festival, where she gathers interesting speakers whose goal is to connect women and empower them at all levels.

"My goal is for women to be satisfied with these trips mentally, emotionally, privately, and professionally. I inspire women to follow their dreams and live without fear and not regret anything they have done in life. Every trip I have organized so far has been different and each destination offers something special. We were in India, Morocco, Tanzania, Egypt, Jordan, and of course, we toured our country", Paola says.

"We visited Istria and here our trip focused on gastronomy, Paola tells us. Therefore, during such trips, the villa will serve as a second home for travelers who will experience the best in Pula and Istria with their hostess. Her festival will also be held here, where Paola will bring powerful women from all over the world. Such trips will be organized in the pre-season and post-season, and there will always be something special from Istria on the schedule", Paola adds.

This enterprising couple decided to invest in Pula primarily because it is Paola's hometown, they met here and bought land on the 10th anniversary of the relationship, and a luxury villa is being built near her family home. But, as she tells us, her husband also fell in love with Pula very quickly and very easily.

"In this way, we decided to promote Pula together, which is not such a well-known and popular destination in our country. And who knows, maybe one day we will move and come to live in Istria. That possibility is not ruled out", Paola concluded.

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November 29, 2020 - The one man and dog team from Outdoors Croatia are out and about again exploring Croatia - this time Seagull's Rocks and the Pula Arena.

What is th best way to explore The Great Croatian Outdoors to find out what this wonderful country has to offer?

There are lots of websites out there and Google is your friend, but there can be few better places to start than the team from Oudoors Croatia, which started out as one man and his dog, but has recently branched out into a family journey of exploration. 

As regular readers of TCN may recall, we have been featuring the excellent videos from the Outdoors Croatia team, as they seemingly cover every inch of this beautiful land, showcasing its natural beauty and adventure tourism potential. And, in these socially distanced times, perhaps there is no better time to escape the crowds and see what Croatia off the beaten path has to offer. 

In the latest installment, we head to Istria, and a kayaking experience in a place I have never heard of  - Seagull's Rocks - before heading to somewhere much more familiar, Pula Arena, the sixth largest Roman amphitheatre in the world.  Pula Arena is, of course, one of Croatia's most unusual event locations, hosting a range of activities from rock concerts to exhibition football matches and even an ice hockey game a few years ago. 

We visited The Seagull's Rocks in Pula, a very interesting area, there are beautiful beaches, small caves, it's really great. The only thing is that there were a few waves so it pushed them into the caves, it was not exactly a day to explore.

You can follow the latest from Outdoor Croatia on their YouTube channel.

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November 22, 2020 - Pula and Medulin have launched an offseason campaign to tempt travelers in the winter months. 

Goran Rihelj of HRTurizam writes that the Adriatic's inviting weather nearly 10 months out of the year should be enough incentive to extend the tourist season. Arena Hospitality Group made the first move and opened its campsites, the Arena Stoja camp and the Arena Grand Kažela camp, which are now open all year round, next to the already open Park Plaza Histria hotel in Pula.

But is decent weather enough? The real answer, says Rihelj, is quality content and a complete tourist product.

We must first be aware of two facts: That the motive for arrivals is the destination, not accommodation, and the second is that out of season, the motive for arrivals is not the sun and the sea, or swimming. So, the logical sequence is to ask is: Why should someone come to our destination out of season, if there is no swimming? What will they do? Are all facilities open after October 1?

According to the tourist lifestyle portal Turističke priče (Tourist Stories), the destinations Pula and Medulin have joined forces through the campaign "Warm Winter in Pula and Medulin".

The campaign presents the destination of the city of Pula and Medulin Riviera with all its accommodation facilities, but also natural and cultural riches, as ideal and safe places to spend a winter vacation.

Sports and recreation are ideal in this area due to the climate, but also sports infrastructure: 6 FIFA football fields in Medulin, 5,900-square-meter Pula city pool, two Pula stadiums with athletic tracks, tennis courts, trim tracks, and other sports facilities, announces the campaign, as well as various natural and cultural riches, bicycle and hiking trails and the unavoidable gastronomic offer.

However, it is necessary to complete the entire tourist, because the motive for coming is not accommodation. Thus, through a digital platform, a range of experiences and answers to the question "what can we do here?", segmented by interests, will be listed. It is also great to combine various events, congresses, and other events, but this is currently not possible due to the coronavirus epidemic. 

Rihelj adds that the support of the city through various subsidies is needed and that as many entrepreneurs as possible should get involved in the action, to have as many different activities in the destination as possible. Since everyone makes up the destination, and the synergy of all partners is crucial.

We should certainly praise the beginning of the campaign because the narrative and positioning that the destination is "alive" and still attractive for tourists in the winter months is extremely important.

Did you know that southern Istria has more than 2,300 hours of sunshine a year? 

Bravo to Pula and Medulin!

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November the 22nd, 2020 - The gorgeous Scracin Palace located in the very heart of Pula has had more than a rough time of it, but could this beautiful building finally be restored to its former glory? Potentially...

As Novac/Barbara Ban writes, the old saying ''third time lucky'' might be true for the stunning but sadly neglected historic Scracin Palace in the centre of Pula, Istria. It belongs to a group of properties being sold off by the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute and the Croatian Health Insurance Institute, which could soon be in their third tender for sale.

''Preparatory works (meaning appraisal) are underway for the resale of the business building in Pula, at Trg Portarata 3. After assessing the market value of the property and obtaining the necessary prior approvals, there will be a public tender for the sale of the building, together with its auxiliary facilities, on the HZMO and HZZO websites,'' the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute stated.

Namely, there has already been two attempts to sell the stunning Scracin Palace in the past, but these were both without any success.

''After the first tender back at the end of 2018, the potential buyer withdrew from the purchase of ths property for reasons known to him, and nobody responded to the repeated tender from December 2019. It's important to note that the Scracin Palace is entered in the register of cultural property, which entails several appropriate obligations for property owners. The decision to declare the Scracin Palace a cultural property, which prescribes restrictions on the execution of works on property, is a public document placed in the collection of documents in the land register and is available to all interested persons,'' HZZO pointed out.

Namely, an entrepreneur from Pula, Kristijan Floricic, was interested in the first tender, and he provided a deposit of 785,000 kuna, but gave up before signing the contract and as such lost that deposit. And was then unofficially heard, he gave up when he realised that due to numerous conservation works and research, he wouldn't be able to do everything he intended with the building.

The problem arose after the submission of the bid when it was realised that before any moves could be made, a considerable amount of money would need to be invested in research, and the conservators didn't allow for many works which would have had the end goal of turning the Scracin Palace into a hotel eventually. Allegedly, these are works worth several million kuna, which is why the potential buyer considered the investment unprofitable.

Then, under the same conditions, the building again found itself in a new tender, but without any interested buyers. The building was built between 1880 and 1881, and was destroyed in a fire back in 2014, after which the pension and health services moved to another area. Since then, this sorry building has been empty.

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November 12, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as easyJet operates between Glasgow and Pula next summer. 

Croatian Aviation reports that British low-cost airline easyJet has announced it is introducing a new route to Pula Airport in the summer flight schedule next year.

easyJet announced that in the summer of 2021, it currently plans to launch a new line to Croatia. If the situation with the global pandemic calms by next summer, it is to be expected that this well-known British airline will be present in Croatian airports (Pula, Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik) with far more weekly operations and routes than this summer.

Despite the current situation, easyJet has confirmed the introduction of a new line to Croatia - the Glasgow - Pula line will be introduced on June 28. Originally, this line was supposed to operate in the summer of 2020, but this did not happen for obvious reasons.

Thus, easyJet announces two flights a week from June 28 to September 3, 20201, every Monday and Friday.

A319 aircraft has been announced on the route, which has a capacity of 156 seats in the fleet of this low-cost carrier. easyJet has more than 130 A319 aircraft in its fleet. easyJet is planning 10 routes to Pula Airport in the summer of 2021.

With the announced Glasgow - Pula line, where they will have no competition, easyJet is already selling tickets on direct lines from London (Luton and Gatwick), Liverpool, Bristol, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Geneva and Basel for next summer season.

Lines from London (Luton) and Bristol should start operating to Pula at the end of April, specifically from April 27. Operational changes are possible, and operations will depend on the epidemiological situation and the demand itself. Croatian Aviation will continue to monitor easyJet's flight schedule to Croatia and report any changes in a timely manner, which TCN will then report to its readers. 

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As Morski writes on the 5th of November, 2020, the end of the action of removing the remaining unexploded ordnance from the Second World War in the area of Vallelunga in the Istrian city of Pula was announced on November the 4th at a press conference held by the mayor of that Istrian city, Boris Miletic, the director of the port authority Dalibor Brnos and the head of MUP's anti-explosion service, Marijan Nikolaus.

The clearing up of Vallelunga's terrain on the northern side of the Bay of Pula from was finally completed on Tuesday, November the 3rd, 2020, and destruction began on November the 4th at the Marlera test site.

''As soon as the explosive devices were discovered, aware that this could pose a danger to the health of our citizens, we immediately launched an initiative to protect and fence off this area so that there would be no free access and possible unwanted consequences. After that, we started the process of removing it all and Id like to thank the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense, without which we wouldn't have been able to do this on our own,'' stated Mayor Boris Miletic.

The very first phase of the removal of the unexploded WWII ordnance from the Istrian city was completed in February this year, and also included the clearing of trees and low-lying vegetation. The situation with the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down and prolonged the continuation of these works, and at the end of June 2020, the second phase of terrain rehabilitation was completed, which included the disposal of the ordnance and the preparation of the route for the arrival of an armored excavator, done in close cooperation with the Directorate of Civil Protection, the Croatian Armed Forces, and the Istrian Police Administration. The third and final phase of removing the unexploded ordnance began in September this year. The works were supposed to be completed during the month of September, but more unexploded ordnance was discovered in unexpected areas.

The head of the anti-explosion service of the Ministry of the Interior, Marijan Nikolaus, said that during the operation, they inspected 10,000 square metres in Vallelunga and removed more than 8,000 cubic metres of various construction materials, including about 60 tonnes of explosives, including everything from hand grenades to artillery shells.

The full destruction of the discovered unexploded WWII ordnance will take two weeks, during which two explosions will be heard a day at intervals. The destruction is taking place in strictly controlled conditions and there is no danger for anyone, and upon completion of the entire action, the area will be reopened once again as normal.

When discussing the plans for the future, the director of the Pula Port Authority, Dalibor Brnos, said that a passenger terminal for maritime traffic would be built in the area, which would be able to receive even the largest vessels of up to 400 metres in length.

''What awaits us is obtaining a location permit and talking to potential investors. The project will have significant economic effects not only for Pula, but also for Istria County as a whole,'' concluded Brnos.

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October 26, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Jet2 cancels flights to Zadar and Pula in the 2021 summer flight schedule. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Jet2, a low-cost leisure airline that offers a number of scheduled and charter flights from the UK to tourist destinations in Europe, has announced certain operational changes for the 2021 summer flight schedule. Lines to Croatian airports have also been canceled.

In this year's summer flight schedule, the well-known British company flew to Pula, Split, and Dubrovnik, significantly less than last year, which was to be expected given the global pandemic. After Great Britain put Croatia on the quarantine list at the end of August, they canceled all flights to Croatian airports this year.

Last autumn, Jet2 announced another destination in Croatia, which was supposed to be Zadar Airport. Due to reduced demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company decided to introduce lines to Zadar in the summer of 2021.

Because of the continuing uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company decided against introducing lines to Zadar in the summer of 2021. Jet2 planned to introduce two lines to Zadar; from Manchester and London.

Passengers who have already bought tickets for the summer of 2021 in Zadar will be contacted by the company to offer them an alternative, which includes booking a flight to Split Airport, which will operate next summer.

Apart from Zadar, the company will not operate on the London Stansted - Pula line next summer. It is a long-term line regularly operating for many years, but due to the reduced demand anticipated for next summer, Jet2 will not have this line on offer next summer.

"In the summer flight schedule in 2021, we plan to operate to Split, Pula, and Dubrovnik. We are completely committed to the organization of tourist arrangements, and we are looking forward to taking a large number of tourists on vacation to beautiful Croatia," Jet2 announced earlier.

Another major carrier that brings many tourists from Great Britain to Croatia, British TUI, is still working on the summer flight schedule for next year. Recall, this company flew to Pula and Dubrovnik in the summer of 2019 every week with wide-body aircraft type B787-8 and B787-9 (Dreamliner). Because of the global pandemic this summer, they did not operate in Croatia.

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September 5, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Jet2 cancels all 12 lines to Croatia, namely to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Jet2, a British airline focused on leisure passengers, is suspending traffic on all routes from the UK to Croatia. This is the result of the introduced restrictive measures for travelers coming from Croatia to the United Kingdom, which resulted in a significant drop in demand.

In the first half of July, Jet2 launched as many as 12 international routes to Croatia, from numerous British airports to Pula, Split and Dubrovnik, almost immediately after lifting restrictive measures in the UK. The company returned to the Croatian market, but with a significantly smaller number of routes and weekly flights compared to last summer season, thus adjusting its offer and capacity to current demand.

Jet2 stated the reasons for the cancellation, and in addition to flights to Croatia, the company is also suspending traffic to Spain.

"Due to the global pandemic and reduced demand, as well as due to the measures introduced for travelers coming to the UK from Croatia, we have decided to cancel all flights and travel arrangements for the rest of this summer season. Our last flight from Croatia this year will be on Sunday, September 6, 2020."

This week, the company will operate the last flights to and from Croatia and stop operating on as many as 12 scheduled flights to Dubrovnik, Split, and Pula:

Birmingham - Dubrovnik,

London Stansted - Dubrovnik,

Manchester - Dubrovnik,

Newcastle - Dubrovnik,

Birmingham - Split,

East Midlands - Split,

Leeds - Split,

London Stansted - Split,

Manchester - Split,

Birmingham - Pula,

Leeds - Pula

Manchester - Pula.

After the flights and tourist arrangements for this summer season were completely canceled by the British TUI, Jet2 was the only one that offered British tourists holiday packages in Croatia this summer season. The company achieved an average Load Factor (passenger cabin occupancy) of less than 40% on the lines operating to Croatia, which cannot be considered satisfactory.

Jet2 plans to return to Croatia in the spring of 2021, but this will certainly depend on the pandemic and restrictive measures.

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September 3, 2020 - Three of Croatia's most internationally famous venues in the events industry were lit in spectacular red on Monday. Pula amphitheatre, Zagreb Arena and Fort Punta Christo were bathed in light from sunset until after dark

Three of Croatia's most internationally famous venues used by the events industry were lit in spectacular red on Monday. Pula amphitheatre, Zagreb Arena and Fort Punta Christo, also in Pula were bathed in light from sunset until after dark.

Though the change in appearance was enjoyable and visually impressive, the action was undertaken to send a strong message. It was part of a worldwide campaign to highlight the effects of Coronavirus on the events industry and those who work within it.

Some of the most famous historical buildings, concert venues and event halls in the world joined the Red Alert campaign and were similarly lit on the same night.

Large public events have been put on hold over most of the world under epidemiological guidelines. Seating arrangements in theatres, conference halls, sports and music halls are simply not compatible with social distancing regulations – many such venues could not make a profit by holding events at 50% capacity.

This has affected millions around the world who work in the events industry, from musicians and performers to technicians, bookers, agents, the media, PR representatives, venue management and general staff. Freelancers operating within the events industry are some of the hardest hit and have had all of their income sources removed completely. Many who operate in the events industry are highly trained and skilled, so diversifying into other industries can be problematic.

Pula amphitheatre (also known as Pula Arena) is a massively popular open-air venue in warmer months. It holds spectacular opera, ballet and classical music events as well as hosting a film festival. Like Zagreb Arena, it attracts some of the biggest names in pop and rock music. Fort Punta Christo has become famous all over Europe and further over the last decade, thanks to the internationally renowned Outlook and Dimensions festivals. Those events were supposed to take place in Tisno, at The Garden festival site. But, along with seven further festivals due to be held there this year, they chose to cancel in order to safeguard the health of their attendees and locals.


Fort Punta Christo in Pula is widely known as a host site for international music festivals

The Croatian events industry alone is comprised of 2000 business entities, has more than 12,000 employees, and annually generates HRK 4.5 billion. Autumn/winter 2021 is the soonest estimated point at which large scale events could return to normal. The Red Alert campaign has been undertaken to highlight the plight of the events industry as many sections within it face total collapse if deprived of work until then. 



All photos © Red Alert

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August 25, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that British Airways has announced operational changes to its flight schedule for September this year. Direct lines from London to Zagreb, Pula and Split are no longer!

After the company had return tickets on sale at extremely favorable prices on routes to Croatia, obviously not achieving the earnings they expected, as many as three of the four British Airways routes to Croatian destinations will be canceled in September this year.

The last announced flight on the London Heathrow - Zagreb route is planned for less than two weeks away, on Sunday, September 6. All flights in September after the mentioned date are canceled.

The company is currently keeping flights on this route from October 1, but British Airways has not yet revised its flight schedule for that month. Apart from the reduced demand due to the current coronavirus pandemic, the decision of the United Kingdom that all passengers coming from Croatia are subject to a measure of 14-day self-isolation certainly contributed to this.

The airline's seasonal line between London (Heathrow) and Pula, which has operated twice a week so far, will be canceled on Saturday, September 5, and will not work for the rest of the year.

The London (Heathrow) - Split line will operate for most of September, but this line will also be interrupted earlier than initially planned, on Saturday, September 26.

The only British Airways route to Croatia that should operate throughout September is the line between London and Dubrovnik.

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