Rovinj remains a largely untouched town that has retained all of its Old World charm. By day, explore its magnificent old quarter or head to a shaded beach for peaceful views across the Adriatic. At night, make a beeline for one of Rovinj's fantastic restaurants, where Italian-inspired cosine makes use of fresh seafood caught that day.

This sleepy town is situated 10km north of Pula, and its highlight is the handsome neo-baroque St Blaise’s Church. In a curtained-off area behind the main altar you'll find the mummies of Nikolosa Bursa, Giovanni Olini and Leon Bembo. The bodies of these centuries-old saints mysteriously failed to decompose, and are said to have magical powers.

Poreč is packed with historical highlights, including the Euphrasian Basilica - a 6th-century wonder of Byzantine architecture. But there are plenty of contemporary activities and attractions to capitalise on as well, like scuba diving in the shallow waters of Uvala Brulo, cycling through the former gauge railway of Parenzana, and sampling the local white wine Malvazija.

The front-cover splash of Pula is its 2,000-year-old amphitheatre, where warriors and lions once stood before 25,000-strong crowds. It still entertains to this day with the likes of Elton John and José Carreras performing concerts here. In fact, Pula’s blossoming cultural scene, which includes an annual film festival, is quickly overtaking its historic heritage in terms of notoriety.

At the southern end of Cape Kamenjak, which is largely uninhabited with rolling hills and wild flowers, sits Kolombarica Beach - a scenic spot tailor-made for sun worshipping by the sea. If you're feeling brave, you can dive into the turquoise water from the high cliffs above and swim through a series of shallow caves.