Rovinj - City of Cuba

Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port. Istriot, a Romance language once widely spoken in this part of Istria, is still spoken by part of the residents is an institution of the Council of Europe.

Rovinj was already a settlement of Illyrian tribes before being captured by the Romans, who called it Arupiunum or Mons Rubineus, and later Ruginium and Ruvinium. Built on an island close to the coast, it was connected with the mainland in 1763 by filling in the channel.

It became part of the Byzantine empire, then in the sixth century part of the Exarchate of Ravenna and in 788 part of the Frankish empire. Then it came under the rule of different feudal lords during several centuries. From 1209 it was ruled by the Aquilean patriarch.

Meanwhile, Rovinj was developing an important maritime industry that was coming under increasing threat from piracy. In 1283 Rovinj signed a pact swearing fealty to the Venetian empire in exchange for protection.

After the fall of Venice and the Napoleonic parenthesis, Rovinj was part of the Austrian Empire until World War I. Then it belonged to Italy from 1918 to 1947, when it was ceded to Yugoslavia: in that period much of the Italian inhabitants fled.

Tourism began for Rovinj in the late 19th Century, when liners began to stop at the port en route from Trieste to Rijeka. Georg Huterrodt developed the nearby islands in the early 20th Century, and created parkland to the south of the town as well as instituting the Istrian coast as a yachting destination.

It is also unofficially considered one of the most beautiful towns on the Adriatic coast. The most numerous visitors to the city of Rovinj are Italians, Germans, Austrians, Dutch and British. The two closest airports are Trieste and Pula. Since the recent introduction of low cost flights from the UK to Trieste, Treviso, Venice and Pula the number of UK visitors has increased dramatically. In the Summer season, there is a direct high speed ferry link between Venice and Rovinj, facilitating the transfer of visitors flying into Marco Polo airport to the town of Rovinj.


The local entertainment hub is Monvi, a multimedia centre that includes a night club, an open-air theatre, a number of disco bars, a Mexican restaurant and a pizzeria. It is very popular with locals that travel from neighbouring towns and cities to sample some of its entertainment offerings. Monvi regularly hosts concerts and events with big names from the Croatian popular music scene or international house and techno DJs. Outside of Monvi, nightlife is primarily relegated to coffee bars or local pub-type bars. In the summer months, the city is buzzing with young people although it becomes quiet in the winter, with most bars closing early and Monvi centre being open only on certain weekends.