Castello di Muggia

All that has survived of the Medieval fortified settlement of Muggia Vecchia, dating back to Roman times (it lay along the Via Flavia that went from Tergeste, now Trieste, to Pula in Dalmatia), are sections of the old curtain wall with the gates Porta di Levante and Porta di San Ulderico and the Romanic basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. In 931, following the occupation of Istria, it was granted by King Lothair of Italy to the Patriarch of Aquileia. Subjected to the jurisdiction of the Patriarch, the village grew around its harbour, often being the theatre of battles; in 1354 it was attacked by the Genoese fleet and in 1420 it fell into Venetian hands. Like the rest of Istria, it remained part of the Republic of Venice right up its demise in 1797. The Cathedral (built in 1263), the Town Hall and the Church of San Francesco (both dating from the 15th century) are typical examples of Venetian architecture.