Rijeka

Rijeka, theEuropean Capital of Culture for 2020, sits at the mouth of a sheer, limestone gorge where the Rječina River meets the northern Adriatic Sea. It is Croatia’s third-largest city and its largest port. Defined by its open character and progressive spirit fashioned by waves of immigrants, nationalities, and layers of ethnicities, its status as this year’sCapital of Culturehonors its multilayered identity. The accompanyingyear-long calendar of events—a program named “Port of Diversity”—kicked off in February, just as the city’s famously flamboyant Carnival celebrations were revving into high gear.