From Rossana’s notebook
Pula Arena: a Roman amphitheatre that surprises even seasoned travellers
Recently, just as we arrived outside Pula Arena, one of my guests admitted that she had been worried she would see just another Roman amphitheatre. She had already visited several and was not expecting any great surprise.
Then she stopped.
For her, Pula Arena was the most beautiful she had ever seen. She was particularly impressed by its preservation, but also by its setting beside the sea and Pula harbour. I was pleasantly surprised by how firmly she expressed her opinion.
Her reaction made me wonder: what makes Pula Arena so special, even for people who already know the great Roman monuments?
Architecture we can take in at a glance
One of Pula Arena’s greatest strengths is the exceptional preservation of its outer stone shell. We can follow the outline of the building with our eyes and imagine its original grandeur. Architectural research also reminds us that many internal elements have been lost: the Arena we see today is not a completely preserved Roman amphitheatre.
The distinction becomes clearer when we compare it with other famous buildings. The Colosseum preserves its complete outer perimeter only in its northern sector. Verona has lost much of its outer ring. In Pula, it is the exterior architecture that makes a particularly strong first impression.
Nîmes, on the other hand, also ranks among the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres. Beauty and preservation are not a single category in which we can simply declare a winner.
The sea is part of the Arena’s story
Pula’s amphitheatre was built on the slope above the bay, about 200 metres to the northeast, outside the Roman city walls. According to the Archaeological Museum of Istria, the ancient shoreline came almost to its foundations. The Via Flavia ran between the amphitheatre and the sea.
Looking towards the harbour therefore also opens a historical perspective. Today’s view does not entirely match the ancient one, but it helps us understand the building’s close connection with the sea.
That connection had a practical side too. In their study of the extraction and use of Istrian limestone, Klara Buršić-Matijašić and Robert Matijašić explain that transporting stone blocks by ships and barges was much more practical than the demanding journey over land. They also identify a nearby bay that could have been used for loading, close to the Cave Romane quarry at Vinkuran.
We can therefore understand proximity to the sea as an important logistical advantage during construction. Claiming that the Arena was placed here exclusively to facilitate the transport of stone would, however, go beyond the available evidence.
Four towers and a building adapted to the slope
The four rectangular towers are a distinctive feature of Pula’s amphitheatre. They housed wooden staircases, with rainwater tanks at the top. A comparison with Arles is particularly interesting: its four defensive towers were added only in the Middle Ages. A similar exterior detail can conceal an entirely different history.
The builders also made use of the natural slope: towards the sea, the building rises to its full height, while only the upper levels emerge on the higher eastern side. Stone, slope and structure shape its appearance together.
Each amphitheatre preserves a different part of the Roman world
El Jem impresses with its preserved supporting structures and underground passages. Pozzuoli and Capua reveal the technical workings behind the spectacles. Pompeii takes us back to an earlier stage in the development of amphitheatres, while Itálica shows how much of a building’s former volume we must reconstruct in our imagination.
Nor is a seaside location unique to Pula: Tarragona’s amphitheatre was also built near the coast, outside the city walls.
Pula Arena captivates through its particular combination: exterior architecture whose form we can still clearly read, four towers, its relationship with the slope and views towards the harbour.
Why it is worth pausing outside the Arena — and in the centre of its arena floor
During my tours, I like to leave a moment for that first look, before the dates and explanations. Visitors can notice for themselves the rhythm of the arches, the height of the stonework and the building’s relationship with the sea and the city.
When you step into the centre of the arena floor, the experience changes. Surrounded by stone arches, beneath the open sky, you may feel an unusual combination of spaciousness and shelter. The Arena is large, yet its ring of stone seems to embrace us for a moment and offer a sense of protection. It is worth stopping, looking around and allowing the space to make its impression.
In her encounter with Pula Arena, my guest found her own most beautiful Arena.
Her impression speaks of something that numbers struggle to convey: an encounter with a place that surprises us even when we think we already know what to expect.
Sources and further reading
- Arheološki muzej Istre — Amfiteatar
- Arena Pula — O amfiteatru
- Attilio Krizmanić — Prostor, 2016
- Klara Buršić-Matijašić & Robert Matijašić — The Extraction and Use of Limestone in Istria in Antiquity, ASMOSIA XI, 2018
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo — The Lost Ambulatories
- Fondazione Arena di Verona
- INRAP — Amphithéâtre de Nîmes
- Ville d’Arles — Amphithéâtre
- UNESCO — Amphitheatre of El Jem
- Comune di Napoli — Flavian Amphitheatre, Pozzuoli
- Ministero della cultura — Anfiteatro campano
- Parco archeologico di Pompei — Guía (p. 34)
- Junta de Andalucía — Anfiteatro de Itálica
- Museu d’Història de Tarragona — Amphitheatre