Latest news with #Istria
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Italian Olympic champion Benvenuti dies aged 87
ROME, May 20 (Reuters) - Italian boxer Giovanni 'Nino' Benvenuti, who won Olympic gold in Rome in 1960, died on Tuesday at the age of 87, the Italian Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a statement. Turning professional after the Olympics, Benvenuti was also a world champion in two different weight divisions in the 1960s. Born in the Istria region in what is part of modern-day Slovenia, Benvenuti won Olympic Welterweight gold for Italy with victory over Yuri Radonyak of the Soviet Union in the final. He was awarded the Val Barker trophy as the outstanding boxer at the 1960 Games -- an event where American Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, won the light heavyweight gold. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Benvenuti as an athlete and for speaking up for thousands of Italians killed by Yugoslav partisans or exiled at the end of World War Two. "Thanks Nino for your fights in the ring and for those in defence of the truth. Italy will not forget you," she wrote on social media. Benvenuti won the world Super Welterweight title in 1965 when he knocked out compatriot Sandro Mazzinghi. Having lost that crown, he moved up to the Middleweight division and beat American Emile Griffith at Madison Square Garden in 1967 to claim another world title. Griffith won a rematch later that year but Benvenuti reclaimed the title in 1968 in their third meeting. The Italian lost the title in 1970 when Argentine Carlos Monzon defeated him in Rome. After his retirement, he appeared in a couple of films and remained a familiar face with regular television appearances.
The Sun
18-05-2025
- The Sun
Croatian beach city with ‘perfect' summer temperatures gets new Jet2 flights from the UK
JET2 has launched new flights to Pula - a Croatian city said to have the perfect summer temperatures. Pula is the seventh-largest city in the country with lots of beaches and its own Colosseum that's said to be more intact than its counterpart in Rome. 4 4 Jet2 and Jet2holidays are now offering flights and trips to Pula on the Istian Coast. For anyone wanting to explore Croatia, the city is said to have the "perfect summer temperatures", according to a group of travel experts. Temperatures in Pula rarely drop below 10C in the winter, and have highs of 27C in the summer - so remains warm without going too high. Pula is found on the edge of the heart-shaped peninsula in Croatia and has been compared to Italy. Pula has its very own Colosseum, and it's the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers entirely preserved. It's even said to be more intact than its famous counterpart in Rome. The Colosseum in Pula was constructed between 27 BC and AD 68, and is among the world's six largest surviving Roman arenas. The city isn't short on beaches either with Galebove stijene, Jamica Beach, Valsaline and has its own harbour. There's also the Arch of the Sergii, a huge triumphal arch that's the main gateway into its historic centre. It's also known as the Golden Gate and was built to honour a prominent Roman family in Pula. The pretty coastal city in Europe where you can kayak to hidden beaches has cheap easyJet flights 4 In Pula's old town there are Byzantine chapels and elegant Venetian townhouses. Anyone wanting to fly to Pula from North West can take off on the exclusive route from Manchester Airport to Pula. It offers a two two weekly services (Monday and Thursday) until 16 October 2025. The service takes two hours 30 minutes and prices start from £61. Jet2 also has routes from Birmingham and London Stansted to Pula can also look forward to flights to the Croatian region in summer 2025. Flights to Pula from East Midlands Airport are set to launch next summer. This is Croatia's largest island, with hilltop towns, sandy beaches, and its own airport with direct UK flights. And the Croatian city dubbed the 'Pearl of the Adriatic' with crystal-clear waters and world-class food. 4
