Piran and Portoroz

at the beach
Originally uploaded by francessa_Rich

Back from a short break in Piran/Portoroz in Istria in Slovenia.

Piran is an old Mediterranean town with narrow streets and lots of sights. It reminds me of Venice, which is no surprise - it was part of the Venetian empire from the 13th to the 18th century. There's a beautiful church, San Giorgio, with a bell tower which is a copy of St. Mark's campanile in Venice.

Here's an overview of the town.

Piran is also the birthplace of composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (born in 1692).

The area is beautiful, the water crystal clear, but it was very hot, always around 86 degrees F. So we had to stay cool, relaxing in our nice hotel in Portoroz, which is close by Piran , or sitting at the beach with some chilling drinks, ice-cream, or fancy cakes. Or squid and scampi and sardines. We did a lot of eating, come to think of it...