Umag is a small coastal town and port on the northwestern coast of Istria. Due to its seaside location and well-developed tourist facilities, it has over time evolved into an important holiday destination that combines a Mediterranean atmosphere, a historic old town, and modern tourist infrastructure.
In the area where land exists today, there was once a small island, and the settlement developed along the edge of the former port of Umag. As early as the 10th century, a defensive system of the town was established, including city walls, city gates, and a drawbridge. Remains of this fortified section are still visible in the southwestern part of the old town, near the city museum, which was once part of a defensive tower with characteristic swallowtail battlements, still clearly visible from the sea side. One of the most important historical structures in Umag is the town cistern, built in 1677 and later restored in 1780. It played a key role in supplying the population with water and represents an important example of public water infrastructure from the period of the Venetian Republic, when such facilities were essential for life along the coast. Its placement within the urban fabric testifies to careful planning and adaptation to the lack of fresh water. At the entrance to the old town stands the Church of St. Roch, built after the plague epidemic of 1507 as an expression of gratitude and protection against disease. The interior of the church features a wooden ceiling painted with oil motifs from the 18th century, giving the space a distinctive artistic character.
The Parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Peregrine, the patron saint of the town, was designed according to the plans of the architect Filippo Dongetti from Piran. Its late Baroque façade was never fully completed, giving it a somewhat distinctive appearance. Inside, there is an embedded depiction of St. Peregrine from the 14th century, while the ceiling paintings are attributed to the artist Giuseppe Bernardino Bison. The main altar is decorated with statues of the town’s patron St. Peregrine and St. Nicephorus. The church also houses various altarpieces and fragments of a 15th-century wooden triptych. Particularly notable is the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, which art historians associate with the workshop of the Vivarini school. The organ, still in use today, dates back to 1776. An interesting detail is the Venetian lion on the bell tower, which was originally placed on the town hall destroyed in a fire in 1924. The bell tower itself, 33 meters high, dates back to 1651. Near the apse of the church, an iron cannonball is embedded in the wall, which historians interpret as a cannon shot from 1810, associated with a Genoese ship. The old town is further characterized by narrow streets, stone houses with biforas, coats of arms, and inscriptions, especially in the western part of the town. A special feature of some older buildings are stone brackets on the façades, which were once used to attach canvas sheets that shaded interior spaces from the summer sun.
To conclude the historical walk, the route continues to the breakwater, the construction of which began in 1825. This impressive structure is about 400 meters long and still shapes the town’s coastline today, while also protecting the harbor.