May 21, 2021 - As the season approaches and tourists start to arrive, a message comes from the European People's Party's Donald Tusk in Rovinj, Istria.

As reported by nacional.hr, Donald Tusk, who served as President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019 and as the 14th Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014, is currently enjoying the early days of sun in Croatia with his family. Through his Twitter profile, the most famous Polish politician internationally announced his visit to the popular Istrian destination of Rovinj. The sight of Donald Tusk in Rovinj is likely to give this destination hope for the summer ahead.

Tourism in the Istrian peninsula has proven that it can defy the obstacles caused by the pandemic, not only at its worst during the past year but also in recent months, prior to the start of the rapidly approaching summer season. Istria saw, with surprise, local and foreign tourists arrive not only during Easter but also during the first weekend of May, thus exceeding their expectations in the face of the complicated situation that tourism has been going through in the country in the last year.

All this highlights the advantages of the peninsula of being better connected with the European continent, providing the opportunity for all those tourists to travel by car. It also sends out a powerful message about the willingness of many tourists to enjoy the sea and the beaches before they get crowded, and especially in the present context of social distancing. As the vaccination process in Croatia continues its course and the numbers of infections continue to decline, it seems that the results are beginning to appear.

Given this hopeful precedent, there is reason enough in Istria to believe that the approaching summer season may bring life back to hotels, restaurants, private accommodation, and more. And one of the people who believes that it is time to face the coming months with optimism is nothing less than the Polish representative in the European People's Party (EPP), Donald Tusk.

In Rovinj with my family. Croatia ?? is ready to restart tourism and welcome all guests. We are all in love with Istria. pic.twitter.com/G1UOwMqOmk

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtuskEPP) May 20, 2021

"Croatia is ready to restart tourism and to receive guests. We are all in love with Istria ", reads the announcement of Donald Tusk in Rovinj on Twitter, accompanied by a photo of him enjoying an Istrian sunset with his family.

For more information on what the City of Rovinj can offer you on your next visit, such as sights, hotels, beaches, food, or drink, be sure to check out Total Croatia's Rovinj in a Page 2021, HERE.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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January 28, 2021 – Architect Marko Brajovic from Rovinj was working from a design studio in Barcelona when he was first invited to visit South America's Atlantic rainforest to build a bamboo house for a client. He now lives in this incredible landscape himself and has made a stunning new treehouse which sits in its treetops

Around one third of the world's rainforests can be found in Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest being the most famous. But, it's neither the only rainforest in Brazil nor the only protected area within the vast South American country. A rich path of forest and wild nature stretches down much of the country's Atlantic coast and in the area of Paraty, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area and the Serra da Bocaina National Park are just two, albeit huge, sections of it. It is in Paraty that Croatian architect Marko Brajovic has built his latest creation.

Sitting high in treetops where monkeys used to live, Marko Brajovic new Monkey House takes its inspiration from the settings which surround. It is tall and sleek like the trees themselves and uses a wealth of natural materials to help it blend into its environment.

Marko Brajovic's Paraty treehouse measures only 5 x 6 metres in ground space – it does so not to impose on the forest. But it rises up alongside the trees over three floors, which give a total of 86 square metres of living space. It was designed as a summer vacation or weekend house, a retreat into immersive nature.

The beautiful, all-wood interior makes use of hardy bamboo and is sparsely decorated with antique 1970s Brazilian furniture. Supporting Marko Brajovic's Monkey House on the sloped forest floor are multiple structural poles made from strong, dense woods. Their load-bearing strength was inspired specifically by the ‘juçara’ (euterpe edulis) palm of the surrounding Atlantic forestland, which clings to inclines via visible anchor roots that distribute their loads over multiple vectors.

The building has two bedrooms and two open terraces, one on each side, allowing the forest to almost flood into the house. Marko Brajovic is originally from Rovinj, Istria. He was working from a design studio in Barcelona when he was first invited to visit the Atlantic forests, in order that he could build a bamboo house for a client. Like his new Monkey House, Marko Brajovic now himself lives within the trees of Brazil's Atlantic rainforest.

All photography © rafael medeiros and gustavo uemura

The Balbi Arch, an old symbol of former Venetian rule over Rovinj is given new life following over a year's worth of intense expert works on its cleaning.

As Glas Istre/Nina Orlovic Radic writes on the 1st of June, 2019, works which lasted thirteen months were carried out by experts from the Croatian Restoration Institute, and the cost of the works, amounting to 300,000 kuna, was co-financed by the Croatian Ministry of Culture.

After the restoration of Rovinj's famous stone Balbi Arch (Balbijev luk), one of the most recognisable symbols of Rovinj, which initially began last April was finally completed, the scaffolding and the plastic cloaks hiding the most frequwntly used entrance to Rovnj's historic core were removed. Yesterday, the Balbi Arch shone in a brand new light.

The seventh-century Balbi Arch had to be renovated and cleaned from exposure to various types of pollution and elements. Among other things, the weeds and other plants that had grown on the back of the arch were also properly removed. Since the Balbi Arch is a monument of culture, the necessary works were entrusted to the experts from the Croatian Restoration Institute.

Apart from being one of Rovinj's unmissable (and indeed hardly avoidable) top tourist spots, the Balbi Arch is one of the seven former city gates of medieval Rovinj, of which there are still three standing today and which remain in use.

Sitting a top of the Balbi Arch is a lion with wings on its back, a symbol of the Venetian Republic, depicted holding an open book in its paw, which means that Rovinj once accepted the rule of the Venetians without conflict or war, on the inside of the arch is the architecture style typical of the Venetian Republic, while the exterior is in Turkish style. 

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