A statue of Piran born composer and violinist Guiseppe Tartini holds court in the main square which was named for him.
The era of Venetian control of Piran is evident in the architecture of the square--in the balconies and windows especially. At the highest point of town stands the Church of St. George with its separate bell tower patterned after the campanile in St. Mark's Square in Venice. Even the modern buildings in this town are probably much older than any buildings in the entire United States, and most of them are made to appear Venetian in style..
The Piran marina housed hundreds of picturesque boats with an aquarium in a yellow building at one end of it. Two statues way out in the water mark the entrance to the harbor, and the bell tower is visible from anywhere in Piran.
The city buses had their sides painted with ads that spilled up onto the windows. I wonder if the riders can see out.
Among the laberynthine streets of ancient Piran there are several old squares. Some of the buildings form bridges over the narrow streets, and the rooftops, when seen from slightly higher crowd together so it looks like one mass building. At one point I saw a window ledge with flower pots on it and I thought that all it needed was a sleeping kitty cat to be perfect.
On the seaward side of Piran stretches a rocky beach with vacationing Europeans sunning themselves along the shore. A walkway makes its way around the edge of Piran leading past an old lighthouse and lots of buildings with their shutters drawn to keep the heat of the sun out.
Bananas were used as decorations in the market, and upon reflection, I realized that the locals must consider them a truly exotic fruit since they are so far away from tropical areas.
Click a picture to see a larger view.