Roman Wine and Olive Oil
Roman Istria
Istria triangular peninsula
that is part of Croatia and Slovenia. It extends into the northeastern Adriatic
Sea between the Gulf of Venice (west) and the Gulf of Kvarner (east). The
peninsula has an area of 1,220 square miles (3,160 square km). The northern
portion is part of Slovenia, while the central and southern parts belong to
Croatia. A tiny strip of coast at its northwestern base is the site of Trieste
and belongs to Italy.
Istria's highly indented shoreline, 267 miles (430 km) in length,
exhibits numerous drowned valleys. The west coast has a score of small offshore
island groups, the most notable being Brioni (Brijuni). The terrain basically
consists of a limestone plateau, much of which lacks water owing to its karst
topography. The northeast section consists of the mountains of the Dinaric Alps,
with a maximum elevation of 4,596 feet (1,401 m) at Mount Učka. These modest
heights slope gradually south and west in undulating terraces toward the
Adriatic. Parts of the peninsula have thick forests, and places suffering from
the ravages of timber cutting are being reforested. In the waterless karst areas
a scrub vegetation prevails. A Mediterranean climate brings hot, dry summers and
warm, wet winters.
The population of Istria, approximately two-thirds of which is Croatian, engages
mostly in agriculture. Wheat, corn (maize), rye, oats, figs, fruit, and olives
are grown in the fertile western and southeastern coastal areas, and cattle are
bred. There has been an increase in viticulture, and fishing and shipbuilding
are other activities. Salt is obtained from seawater at Piran and Portorož in
Slovenia. Raša, in Croatia, is an important site for the mining of high-quality
anthracite coal; and bauxite, building stone, and quartz are also extracted.
Istria's most important town and harbor is Pula, which has a well-preserved
Roman amphitheatre. Opatija and Brioni are best known as seaside resorts.
Istria derived its name from the ancient Illyrian tribe of the Histri and was
subdued by Rome in 177 BC after two wars. Under the emperor Augustus most of the
peninsula became part of Italy. Slavic peoples began settling there in the 7th
century AD. It was successively under the control of diverse Mediterranean
powers until 1797, when the peninsula came under the rule of Austria, which
developed Trieste as a port. By this time the population consisted of Italians
and Austrians in the coastal towns and Slavic farmers in the ruralinterior.
After World War I, Italy forcibly seized the peninsula from Austria in 1919 and
afterward tried to Italianize the population. But, following Italy's defeat in
World War II, Yugoslavia occupied most of Istria in 1947. The peninsula's
northwestern section, around Trieste, was finally divided between Italy and
Yugoslavia in 1954 after decades of diplomatic wrangling and periodic political
crises. Istria quietly became part of Croatia and Slovenia in 1991 when those
states became independent nations. Italian minorities remain in both the Slovene
and Croatian parts.
Text from Encyclopedia Britannica
Olive Oil and Wine were carried in ships around the Mediterranean in Amphora
Roman vintage grape press for making of wine
Amphora in a animal drawn wagon
pressing of olives for making of olive oil
long Amphora
showing the many forms of Amphora found
a Roman map
each segment showing one day's walk
