Piran, the fishing village on the Adriatic

Piran on the Adriatic

At first glance, Piran in Slovenia doesn't look like a fishing village. The town's square, Piazza Tartini, is too grand and large for that. At its center, the square's namesake, the town's native musician Giuseppe Tartini, watches over the town. Below him, the town's youngsters romp around loudly, full of joie de vivre and mischief, under the watchful eye of their mothers. The occasional offspring is forcefully dragged away from the sharp, dangerous-looking fence spikes designed to keep equally mischievous badgers away from the musician's statue. They fail to stop their offspring for long. They climb up again, and once again the mothers have to step in to save the day. It's a stressful job to keep your children in check in Tartini Square.

 

 

Get your first impressions of Piran on the Adriatic in Petar's video.

 

 

Since it is good that the fishing village on the Adriatic, is closed to traffic. We go by bus from Portoroz across, which stops directly at Tartini Square. Those arriving by car must park in one of the parking garages in front of the city and walk to the center of Piran. Only the inhabitants of Piran are allowed to take the vehicle into the city.

 

 

 

 

Piran Slovenia with Venetian architecture

What also doesn't help us immediately recognize Piran as a fishing village are the magnificent buildings on Tartini Square. The facade of the town hall features a Venetian lion holding a book in its paw—a symbol of the friendly attitude of the people of Piran toward the Venetians. At least, that's how Janez, our Slovenian guide, explains it as we tour Piran.

It's no wonder that Venice had such a strong influence on Piran, the fishing village on the Adriatic. After all, the lagoon city is only about 100 kilometers away by sea. A stone's throw, so to speak, and especially for the traders from Venice. They came to Piran Bay for the salt mined on its southern shore. The salt pans can still be visited today.

 

 

A Venetian even had a love affair with a piran for years. The love was so great that he built her a house in the city center. Not to be mistaken for its Venetian architecture and red color, it still seems to be true to its owner's motto: "let it go" (let it talk). This can still be seen on a relief between the two windows on the top floor of the house.

 

 

Italian tracks in Piran

Petar joins the others on a tour through the alleys leading up to St. George's Cathedral. From above, the remains of the city fortifications stretching along the hilltop can be seen. Along the way, they pass the Minorite Monastery, once built by the Franciscans in Piran.

Once at the top, you'll have a view of Piran and the bay in front of it, where a five-masted tall ship is anchored, as if the merchants from Venice were still sailing the Mediterranean. In fact, it's a cruise ship sailing along the Adriatic coast. It offers an impressive sight in the evening sun.

Petar's video also shows that there are further clues to Piran's proximity to Italy. On his tour through Piran, the fishing village on the Adriatic, he encounters traces of Italy. There's the hair salon named Verdi, or the signs that refer to St. George's Cathedral as the Church of San Giorgio. After all, 7 percent of Piran's population speaks Italian.

There are even Italian kindergartens and elementary schools in the city. It's no wonder that Piran's cuisine also has an Italian flavor. I don't mean the pizzerias in the side streets of Tartini Square. No, spaghetti vongole (spaghetti with mussels) is served as a separate course during our delicious dinner.

 

 

Piran Slovenia, the fishing village on the Adriatic Sea

After all these influences of Venetian architecture, Janez wants to prove to us that Piran is still a Slovenian fishing village. He leads us to a restaurant that cannot be recognized as such from the outside. "Locals prefer to eat here," he explains to us as he heads for an old fishing boat that we wouldn't even have noticed on a walk around the harbor, it looks so weathered. "Here you get your fish fresh from the sea and directly from the fisherman's kitchen." My mouth watered immediately. And I shouldn't expect too much!

 

 

The best sea bass I have eaten so far

On the contrary, my expectations were exceeded. Neither Petar nor I are particularly fond of fish, but the fish dishes that Katarina and her husband Rokis served us on their fishing boat in Piran's harbor still make me dream today and might prompt us to make another trip to Piran soon.

There was a paste made from stockfish as a spread on homemade olive bread and with it in sardines in olive oil. They open our epicurean meal, which we enjoy on the beer garden tables on board their boat. As a greeting from the kitchen, there's spaghetti with Vongole. Our dinner in the Bay of Piran concludes with fish that Rokis had freshly caught from the sea that morning. A sea bream, a sea bass and two local fish species whose names I could not find out.

During our supper the tall ship had set sail in the bay and sailed into the sunset. We separate ourselves first from our hosts Janez, Katarina and Rokis, as weather lights in the distance thunderstorm announces. What a nice evening in Piran, the fishing village on the Adriatic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions and answers about Piran Slovenia

 

 

 

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Travel Arrangements:

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

How to Arrive

For example, book your arrival by plane, bus, or train here.* The airports are Ljubljana and Trieste. You can then continue your journey by rental car, train, or regular bus.

Arrival by bus to Piran Slovenia:

• by public bus from Trieste (Italy) to Koper, Izola, Portorož and Piran
  Info: www.aptgorizia.it or  www.autostazionetrieste.it
• by public bus from Ljubljana (Slovenia) to Koper, Izola, Portorož and Piran
  Info: www.ap-ljubljana.si

Arrival by train:

It is possible to arrive by train to Ljubljana and on to Koper. Alternatively you can arrive via Trieste.

Car Rentals:

via the motorways from the directions of Trieste (Italy) and Ljubljana (capital of Slovenia) and via the road from Pula (Croatia)
Cheap Car Hire - Book Fast and Easy! *

Accommodation in Piran and Portoroz:

At our partner booking.com you can book hotels and Accommodation in Piran * and Portoroz * easy to book online.Our travel tips for Slovenia

We have tested these travel tips ourselves. Maybe there is something for you?

Guide to Piran and Istria

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Further Food Travel is for example here.

Source: own research on site. We would definitely like to thank you for inviting us Slovenia.info and Portoroz Lifeclass hotels. However, our opinion remains our own.

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs as well as TravelWorldOnline and Pixabay
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline