Poreč/Parenzo (Latin: Parens or Parentium) is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, which in 1997 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The town of Poreč/Parenzo is almost 2,000 years old, and is set around a harbor protected from the sea by the small island of Sveti Nikola/San Nicola (Saint Nicholas). The town’s population of approximately 12,000 resides mostly on the outskirts, while the wider Poreč/Parenzo area has a population of approximately 17,000 inhabitants. The municipal area covers 142 square kilometers (55 sq mi), with the 37 kilometers (23 miles) long shoreline stretching from the Mirna River near Novigrad/Cittanova to Funtana and Vrsar/Orsera in the south. Ever since the 1970s, the coast of Poreč/Parenzo and neighboring Rovinj has been the most visited tourist destination in Croatia.

The basilica is one of the most beautiful monuments of the bysantinian art in the Mediterranean. It was built in the 6th century on an even older complex. In 1997 it was listed as UNESCO heritage. Inside the basilica there are mosaics from the 3rd century. The whole complex is just impressive and a real work of art.

OUR TIP: Climb up the basilica bell tower and see Poreč and the Basilica complex from above.