Labin - 1 May Street

Labin is a town in eastern Istria with a historic hilltop centre above newer districts. In its upper quarter, public buildings and houses cluster along short pedestrian routes.

1 May Street runs through this part of the old centre. Among narrow stone passages, a small space opens up by the parish church. The view changes repeatedly along the way: a tight, shaded street widens by steps, colourful façades and palaces.

The street is a useful axis for understanding this part of town, not merely a route between sights. Here stand the Parish Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Battiala-Lazzarini Palace, now associated with the National Museum. Nearby are the smaller Church of St. Stephen and City Gallery; Scampicchio Palace joins the space from the other side.

The varied buildings show how religious, noble and cultural uses intermingled in the compact centre. The church's stone façade, the red museum palace and the more restrained fronts of residential houses do not form a uniform stylistic sequence. The street is interesting precisely for the transitions between them and the brief views opened by steps and junctions.

It is worth walking the street in both directions: from its narrower stretches to the widening by the church and back among the houses. This brings out the relationship between the buildings and the sense of how closely they stand in old Labin.