Poreč (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈpɔrɛtʃ]; Italian: Parenzo; Venetian: Parenso; Latin: Parens or Parentium; Ancient Greek: Πάρενθος, romanized: Párenthos) is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, west Croatia.

During the reign of Emperor Augustus in the 1st century BC, it officially became a city and was part of the Roman colony of Colonia Iulia Parentium.

The earliest basilica contained the remains of and was dedicated to Saint Maurus of Parentium and dates back to the second half of the 4th century.

The floor mosaic from its oratory, originally part of a large Roman house, is still preserved in the garden of the Euphrasian Basilica.

In 1861, under Austrian Littoral Parenzo became the seat of the regional Parliament,[citation needed] with schools, administrative and judiciary offices, and other services.

[8][9] Situated on the western coast of Istria and cooled by sea breezes, the local climate is relatively mild and free of oppressive summer heat.

The month of July is the hottest, with a maximum air temperature of 30°C in conditions of low humidity, while January is the coldest with an average of 6 °C (43 °F).

[11] Lim Bay is a 12-km long estuary with the aspect of a narrow canal, created by the river Pazinčica by eroding the ground on its way to the Adriatic Sea.

The landscape is rich in Mediterranean vegetation, with pine woods and green bushes, mostly of the holm oak and strawberry tree.

For generations, the fertile blood-red land (crljenica) has been used for agriculture, with cereals, orchards, olive groves and vegetables the main crops.

Today the production of organic food is significant, including olives, grapes, and popular wines such as Malvazija, Borgonja, Merlot, Pinot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Teran.

Poreč is well-connected with the rest of Istria and with larger cities such as Trieste, Rijeka (Fiume), Ljubljana and Zagreb.

The only significant industry in the area is food processing, but Croatia's ongoing integration into the broader European economy has led to Poreč seeing growth in its trade, finance and communication sectors.

According to the 2011 census, the main ethnic groups in Poreč-Parenzo are Croats (74.8%), Istrian Italians (3.2%), Serbs (3.4%), Albanians (2.7%) and Bosniaks (1.95%).

The Euphrasian Basilica, rebuilt in the 6th century under the Byzantine Empire and bishop Euphrasius, is the most important historical site in Parenzo.

Today, tourist infrastructure is intentionally dispersed along the 37 km (23 mi) long coastline, between the Mirna River and the deep Lim valley.

Poreč's heritage can be seen in the historic town centre, in museums and galleries hosted in houses and palaces, many of them still private homes as they have been for centuries.