Castropola leadership over Pula, that lasted from 1291 until 1331, is considered as the most flourishing period of Pula’s Middle Age history.

Since Pula joined Venice, Genoa forces attacked Pula several times. During the 14th century Pula gave Venice two Doge: Piero Tradonico and Pietro Polani. In the same period Jacopo from Pula was considered among the most important Venetian architects of the day.

In the wars between Venice and Genoa the defeat of the Venetian fleet in front of Pula in 1379 was particularly destructive. On that occasion the Genovese ransacked the town to such an extent that Pula was only able to recover in the second half of the 19th century. Most of Pula’s inhabitants left the town.

Pula was attacked again in 1411, during the war between the Aquileia Patriarchs and Venice.

In 1431, during Podesta’ Giusto Venier’s leadership, Pula’s got its town Statute.

In spite of its devastated condition the architecture of Pula was the cause of admiration among many renowned sculptors and builders.

Famous Renaissance artists and architects such as Michelangelo Buonarotti, Sebastiano Serlio, Andrea Palladio, all of whom immortalized some of Pula’s most important buildings in their drawings. In addition, among many of Palladio’s works we celebrate the Temple of Augustus.

Particularly famous are the Triumphal Arch of the Sergi drawings made by: fra’ Giocondo, Sangallo, also named Gobbo, conserved at the “Uffizi” museum in Florence, and Michelangelo Buonarroti’s (or Sangallo) drawing conserved in a French museum.

There was not only the idea to transfer the Arena and Temple of Augustus to Venice, but there was also the idea to transfer the Triumphal Arch of the Sergi. In 18th century Salmon proposed to transfer this monument to Venice to preserve it from destruction.

The first law to protect the Arena and the big theatre on Mount Zaro was made by the Aquileia Patriarchs in the 12th century.

In 15th century a law was enacted to protect the other monuments, although it was already to late, because most of the sculptures, columns, doorways, and all other kinds of beautiful artefacts were taken from Pula to build the most important and the most beautiful palaces in Venice and Ravenna.

The Venetians used to say about Pula’s beauty: “lo stupor della Provintia, gioiello delle citta’ piu’ nobili” that could be translated as: “the wonder of the Provinces, jewel of the noblest cities”.

With Venice Pula lost the importance it had during the Roman and Byzantine Empires, Charlemagne’s Kingdom and under the dominion of the Aquileia Patriarchs. During those periods Pula was the most important town in Istria.

From 1347 until 1650 Pula suffered 41 years of plague. The plague, malaria and wars almost completely destroyed life in Pula.

During the 16th century Pula’s population decreased from 4000 inhabitants to 525 inhabitants. At the beginning of the 17th century Pula had less than 300 inhabitants.

The Venetian Republic decided to build a new fortress at the beginning of the 17th century because Pula, even in such a calamitous state, was the target of Uskoci attacks.

In 1607 and 1608 the Venetians built a new fortress and put the harbour in order because Pula’s harbour continued to be an important station on the rout to the Levant and back.

In 1626 in a document written by Giulio Contarini Pula was defined as a “death town”. By 1630 the plague had reduced Pula’s population to less than 100 inhabitants.

In 1664 there were 533 inhabitants. A few years later, in 1671, Venice decided to allow the immigration of almost 700 Hajduci from Montenegro.

However the town did not recover until the mid-19th century when the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy decided to create the most important Naval port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Pula. At the end of the 18th century Pula had 900 inhabitants.