a 15-minute boat ride from Rovinj
The island of St. Andrea, originally called Sera, is by far the largest and most beautiful island which adorns Rovinj and its surroundings. A Benedictine monastery was already established there by the 6th century by the Ravenian bishop Maximillian, born in the village of Veštar near Rovinj. The church of St. Andrea on the island of Sera was turned over to the Franciscans in 1454, who occupied it until 1809, when it was taken over by the French. The Austrian nobleman Johann Georg von Hutterott bought the island in 1890, renovated the monastic buildings and the church, and allowed for the planting of various types of vegetation, of which there are about 180 types flourishing on the island today
