Rijeka’s Pećine quarter was named after the caves, pećine in Croatian. Namely, the whole of Pećine underwater abounds with attractive caves, most of which have now become enclosed or remain inaccessible. One of the last “authentic” sea caves that have remained is the one in the gardens of Villa Gelletich.
Pećine Tourist Tradition
It is on the narrow line between the sea and the hill that old Pećine villas were erected, Villa Anica being one of them. Pećine is by all means an elite location, one that can boast of the longest tourist tradition in the city.
This quarter is imbued with nostalgia of the Austro-Hungarian spirit, distinctive urbanism and lavish greenery surrounding imaginative buildings.
Besides the villas, there is also the Jadran Hotel, special as it was among the first in the world built in reinforced concrete with the foundations in the sea. The hotel has a room that bears the name of Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, the famous writer that used to stay in this very room when she came to visit her nephews who lived in the neighbouring Villa Ružić.
Most of the villas and hotels were built in a few decades only, at the turn of 19th and 20th century, the time when this area was undergoing a strong tourist development. The oldest Pećine beach was built below Palazzina on Piramida in 1885.
Beaches in the Apartment Vicinity
Pećine beaches are among the most beautiful in Rijeka, seven in all nowadays. Sablićevo gravel beach that is only 100 m away from the Apartment Villa Anica was proclaimed “the most beautiful beach of the Rijeka Riviera”, while the neighbouring beach of Glavanovo is the most frequent choice by the elderly and families with small children due to its shallow entrance into the sea. Between them there are the beaches of Villa Olga and the Park Hotel, while to the east of the city, there are the beaches of Srebrena, Ružićevo and Grčevo, the last of which having become the centre of the summer life ever since the Pajol Bar was opened on it.
We mustn’t forget those who come here with their pets, as there is a beach for dogs in the very vicinity of the Apartment, only 200 m away. This dog beach can also be enjoyable for us humans as its pebbles are fine; it is enclosed and contains a shower.
Shopping
For those who like to accompany their summer leisure time with enjoyable shopping, we have to mention that only 200 m away from Villa Anica there is the Tower Centre, a large shopping complex with over 200 shops. The complex offers a wide range of brands, next to a pharmacy, a restaurant and the CineStar cinema complex.
