Novigrad's old town

Discover the story about the impressive town walls with a 16th-century belveder, the only town loggia in Istria built right by the sea. A circular tower, once part of the town’s defence system, today testifies to the borders of the medieval town walls of Novigrad.

 The architectural richness of the patrician Rigo Palace from 1770, housing an art gallery, will definitely catch your eye. Also, make sure to visit the unique Lapidarium Museum and the nearby well, šterna, built from six stone slabs and decorated with the oldest known coat of arms of the Novigrad municipality during the reign of Venetian governor A. Civrano (1506 – 1507). Another site worth visiting is definitely the Church of St Pelagius and St Maximus with its 44-metre tall bell tower, one of the town symbols.

Take your time to wander around and you’ll be amazed to discover a semi-circular bastion, the so-called rotonda, with a gorgeous view of the breakwater and the big blue sea stretching all the way to Italy. Those with a keen eye will notice a Late Gothic bifora on the façade of the building on Poceto Square, long hidden behind the plaster. It most probably originates from one of the medieval churches that had been erected within the Novigrad's walls, and was subsequently built into its present location.