Piran… It was transit point on the road from Italy to Croatia during the summer of 2016. Piran was Italian territory, annexed to Yugoslavia in 1954. Since 1991, Piran is part of the independent Slovenia. The name of the town most probably originates from the Greek “pyrranos”, which means “red”, because of the reddish flysch stones commonly found in the town’s area. Some historians also refer it to “pyros”, meaning fire, due to ancient lighthouses which were supposed to be on the edge of the marine.
Where to start?
The starting point for the walk in Piran were the fortification walls. My preliminary preparation gave me the information that the entrance with a car is limited and the cars stop at the parking in the beginning of the city and from there it goes by bus. Well, nobody stopped us and we managed to reach a parking just opposite the fortification entrance. There were no place where to pay a fare and we thought that it was free, and we found our car in perfect condition at the end of our tour.
The walk around the walls was with a great view of the bay and the colorful roofs of the town. And on the other side… stadium! I’m just saying… Piran is one of the most preserved medieval places on the Adriatic coast. A great contribution to the development of the town during the years has the Republic of Venice, which left a huge mark on the architecture of the town. The big part of the most beautiful buildings, as well the fortification walls, are from the Venetian rule, which lasted more than 500 years.
We continue to the heart of Piran …
After we enjoyed the walk at the highest place of the city, we continued in the north… toward the St George’s church. The view from there is also impressive. Despite its small scale, there are many churches in Piran…
From there we went down along winding and narrow streets to the coastal alleys. We strolled along them to feel the atmosphere of the sea town better. From everywhere you can see hanging clothes over the streets and feel the smell of freshly prepared seafood… Magnificence! The local population is about 18 000 people, who mainly subsist by tourism and fishing.
Piran is known for “The Battle of Piran”, when on 22.02.1812 a 5-hour battle between English and French ships was fought by the coast. That’s the only sea battle that was in the territorial waters of today’s Slovenia.
We quickly traveled over the town and reached the central square “Giuseppe Tartini”, where there is a sculpture of the composer and there is his home. The tour was over, but we had a new ascent to our starting point. Rarely happened to me something like that, but twice I reached streets without way out… They were very confusing… At the end remained only a little bit bitterness, that I couldn’t not photograph Piran late in the evening… it would be beautiful with sure…
