PULA – Winding stone streets, usually packed with tourists, silent as a graveyard. Restaurants closed. Beaches deserted.
Hotels bolted shut. When Europe locked down in response to the spread of the coronavirus, northern Croatia’s picturesque Istria region shut down, as well.
And the consequences were dire for the people who live there and depend on visitors’ spending. Enter Igor Loparic, and Our Dream Their Smile -- a charity Loparic established a decade ago, and has refocused to help people living on the Adriatic Sea cope with the pandemic.
Bordering Italy and Slovenia, Istria is a favorite spot for sea lovers throughout Europe. While tourism could improve over the summer, important months already have been lost.