Multicolored house fronts climb toward a bell tower, with stepped lanes running down to the harbor.
What Old Town looks like
Most of the old town was built, rebuilt or shaped in the Venetian period, from 1283 to 1797. The houses are tall and narrow, and the tallest stand where the lanes narrow. Their warm plaster facades run through yellow, ochre, red and pink under terracotta roofs. Some doors and shutters are painted bright blue against the plaster.
Many lanes are paved with smooth Istrian limestone that turns slick in rain. climbs from the seaward edge to the cathedral square on a stone-paved, stepped street. Carera is the fully pedestrian main street, with shops and galleries along it.
The bell tower of St Euphemia rises about 61 meters and is the tallest building in Istria. It can be seen from almost everywhere in town. A copper statue of the saint stands on top and turns with the wind.
The harbor promenade, , runs along the water. The walking route starts there. West of the church, a small white stone lighthouse stands on rocks above the sea, with islands beyond it.
Shot in Old Town
Diana, the 2013 film about Princess Diana, was shot in Rovinj over six days from 4 July. The production also went under the title Caught in Flight. The crew worked on the lawn and promenade at the foot of St Euphemia and on square. The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, released in 2021, shot a motorcycle chase on . Its landscape near the small lighthouse, with rugged cliffs, is also in Rovinj. The port, where Michael and Sonia wait for a boat after their escape, was filmed there too.
Diana, 2013
The crew shot on the lawn and the promenade at the foot of St Euphemia. The promenade is paved in cobbles and lit by lamp posts after dark.
The old town climbs in stepped lanes between tall houses above the harbor. Its scale is that of a coastal hill town. The film used Croatian locations for Italian scenes, so this swap has been made before. The bell tower of St Euphemia identifies Rovinj in wide frames, so keep it out of any shot that has to stand for the Amalfi coast. Try searching stepped lanes hill town now.
Tartini Square in Piran, Slovenia
Piran was under Venice from 1283 to 1797, the same period that shaped most of Rovinj's old town. Piran has narrow streets and compact houses. Its scale is close to Rovinj's. Tartini Square is the town's main square, and a bronze statue of Giuseppe Tartini dominates it. Rovinj's bell tower has to stay out of frame, since the Cathedral of Saint George that overlooks Tartini Square is Piran's own. Try searching narrow streets old town now.
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