A guide book is an important tool for any traveler, which is why we at Tasteful Croatian Journeys originally developed our Croatia Marketplace. We wanted to share our favorite guide books and literature about Croatia, so that those thirsty for more knowledge would have a resource for learning more. Occasionally, we are lucky enough to meet the authors of the books we recommend. Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking with Annie Bozac, who recently completed her first book, a guide book celebrating her “second home,” Rovinj.

Here, in her own words, Annie shares her inspiration and process in writing The Pearl of the Adriatic Sea, Rovinj: A Travel Guide for the Croatian City of Rovinj.

I was born in Brooklyn, New York and later moved to Long Island with my family. Both my parents were born in the beautiful Istrian region of Croatia. Growing up we visited Istria almost every summer, visiting our very large family. While spending our summers in Croatia we were exposed and able to witness the amazing culture and beauty that Istria had to offer. Spending our summers in Croatia was a huge part of our life growing up and continues to play a significant role in our life today. During our trips, most of our time was dedicated to family as well as traveling around the many beautiful cities of Istria, especially Rovinj. I remember as a child visiting my father’s family that lived in the old town of Rovinj and how amazed I was with the old town environment. The cobblestone streets and the attached houses all seemed like a cozy atmosphere to live in.

When I think of my summer trips to Croatia, the city of Rovinj has always stood out to me. My father’s village is not too far from Rovinj, which allowed us to spend many days exploring the old town and its surroundings. It is not hard for me to say that Rovinj is by far the best city I have ever been to. There is just so much culture and beauty mixed together that it was not difficult for me to decide to write a travel guide for Rovinj. This was the first book I have ever written and thought to make it about something I would actually enjoy and appreciate writing about. In a way, I used this book as a learning process. It not only taught me the progression of writing a book but also allowed me to become more self-assured and to believe in my overall writing.

To be honest, I was a bit shy and nervous about even writing this travel guide. I never thought of myself as a strong writer or thought that I would even publish this book. Perhaps that is why I decided to use a pen name, “Luka Riva.” I think in a way I used this pen name to hide behind the book because of the insecurities I had with my writing in the past. Now, while writing this blog, a part of me wishes I would have just used my own name. I am now more confident with all the hard work that I have put into this book and am proud of my accomplishment. If I am ever to write another travel guide or any other book, I will without a doubt use my name.

I had two motives in using the name “Luka Riva” as my pen name. One being that Luka is the name of my nephew and thought what better name to use than his. The second was I wanted something that really stood out to me when I thought of Rovinj. For me, Rovinj’s riva or waterfront promenade is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the city of Rovinj. I thought the two combined would make a perfect pen name.

I started writing this book during quarantine back in March 2020. It definitely kept me busy and let my mind get creative during such a difficult time. The overall book took me about 5-months to write and proofread. Every day I would only write a few paragraphs and then would go searching through my phone camera roll to find the picture I needed based on the topic I was discussing. The most difficult part of writing this travel guide was the overall formatting. Since this was my first book, I struggled with being able to format my book properly and lining up with the format guidelines on Amazon. It was important for me to start with an outline before I started writing my book. As I started writing, I kept thinking of new topics and aspects of Rovinj to include in my book. Having an outline really directed me in order to stay focused and not get side tracked.

While doing research I was able to get the full history of the city of Rovinj. This was probably my favorite part of the whole process. I was so intrigued to learn about how Rovinj came to be what it is today. While writing this guide, I felt it was necessary to include a substantial amount of history so that the readers could get the background story. I believe that any history obtained from visiting a new place really allows you to appreciate it that much more. I was most fascinated with discovering the history of the church of Saint Euphemia, in the old town of Rovinj. The story behind the name of the church itself really stuck out to me and I found it to be incredible. As the story goes, a young boy had a vision of a girl named “Euphemia” who had told him he would be able to carry up her tomb on his own along the curving streets of the old town, to the church at the very top of the hill. The people of Rovinj were shocked by the occurrence of the boy truly bringing the tomb to the top, that they later proclaimed it to be a miracle which then led to the renaming of the church to Saint Euphemia.

This travel guide for Rovinj would be helpful to all travelers, especially Tasteful Croatian Journeys’ sophisticated luxury travelers. One tip that I would give to travelers going to Rovinj would be to eat at one of the many authentic restaurants located in and around the old town. Since Rovinj is a seafront town, you are guaranteed the freshest seafood caught from the Adriatic Sea that very day. I highly recommend travelers to visit restaurants such as Monte and La Perla, which both use the freshest ingredients for their menus. Guests at these restaurants are ensured an amazing meal.

About our guest blogger, Annie Bozac…

As a Croatian American, Annie treasures her time in Croatia with family and friends. She enjoys exploring new Croatian cities and loves visiting the villages her parents are from which she considers her second home. As a first-time author, she hopes to write more travel guides and books in the future. 

The Pearl of the Adriatic Sea, Rovinj: A Travel Guide for the Croatian City of Rovinj can be ordered worldwide on Amazon in paperback format and Kindle ebook format.

You can also find it in our Croatia Marketplace under our Special Recommendations.