Bale (Italian: Valle d'Istria, Vale) is a small town and municipality in Istria County, Croatia. The origins of the settlement lie in the Roman stronghold of Castrum Vallis, built by Caius Palcrus to protect the salt-pan road from Pula to Poreč. The municipality covers a total area of 81.65km2 and has a total population of 1,127. The town is officially bilingual, Italian and Croatian, hence both town names are official and equal. Bale is connected to the Croatian highway network by an exit on the A9 motorway (E751), part of the Istrian Y. Dinosaur fossils, most notably those of Histriasaurus, were found near the town and are kept at the town museum.
