Sipar

Why it is worth your time

Sipar is a small peninsula north of Umag on which lie the remains of an ancient settlement the sea slowly swallowed: Roman Siparis was a harbour and a production centre with oil presses and salt pans, mentioned in the sources, and in the early Middle Ages also a fortified settlement with a church. Destruction and the rising sea level did their work, so today of Sipar there remains a low rock with the foundations of walls that run into the sea and with pottery fragments still found in the shallows.

The site is reached by the coastal path from Zambratija, some ten minutes' walk; there is no fence, ticket or guard, only boards with explanations. The sea around the peninsula is shallow and clear, so with a mask one sees the walls beneath the surface, which is the most interesting part of the visit. Please take no fragments: the site is protected, and everything carried away disappears from its context forever. For history without crowds and with a swim, Sipar is the best address of the Umag region.