Pula Castle

The city of Pula is built around a hill, but in the center you won't find ordinary homes; rather, you'll find the huge Pula Castle. The castle served to defend the Italian city against the attacks of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and later the French. It takes about ten minutes of walking to get to the castle, where you'll find a small museum. It was built in 1630 based on a plan by the French military architect Antoine de Ville who'd been commissioned by the Venetian government. Pula was then part of the Venetian Empire, and its strategic position meant that it was potentially more vulnerable against enemy attacks.