Rijeka was a bit of a disappointment after the glories of Split, Hvar, and Dubrovnik but seeing it did help flesh out a few regional urban trends. In the left image is the “Stara Vrata” or Roman Gate. It served as the entryway to the original Roman outpost. Although I hunted it down imagining its potential pedigree parallels with Split, the gateway turned out to be no more than a weary band of stones taped together with concrete and strung across a neglected alleyway. Earthquakes and the need for rapid modernization have all but demolished Rijeka’s earlier iterations.
Just down the hill from the Stara Vrata is the site of the medieval gateway. The archway I’ve highlighted at center was installed in 1873 after a 1750 earthquake destroyed the original. The medieval version opened directly to the sea. As was the case with Split, the reclaimed strip is now the city’s primary pedestrian promenade. Apparently the Korzo hosts a pretty intense carnival earlier in the year. When I took this photograph, the only street entertainment was two Latin Americans dressed up as Indians and playing wooden flutes to heavy electronic accompaniment. I think I have seen these people in every city I’ve been to so far. Usually they either pipe Unchained Melody or some Paul Simon tune, but today I got treated to Last of the Mohicans, a personal favorite. With dramatic kneeling, a few flourishes, and a little rain dance they gather a crowd every time. The shopping center to the left of the gateway is a type I’ve seen repeated along the Korzo. Eschewing window-shopping potential to meet the street like an inert cinema, the interior is crammed with shop stalls of various sizes. It was an odd, claustrophobic experience to slalom escalators to the top although I would have felt completely comfortable doing the same in India.
Finally, the right image highlights the city’s medieval citadel. Neither Split nor Dubrovnik sought such high-ground protection but Hvar and several other Croatian cities I’ve passed through sport similar bastions. Due to the terrain they still stand aloof and will probably never be absorbed by their hosts like their Roman predecessors--and, to a lesser degree, their Renaissance progen--have been.
