Excursions available: Venice, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Brijuni National Park, canoe safari, jeep safari, “Fish Picnic” boat excursion, visit to the city of Pula, Istria tour, visit to the Postojna coves in Slovenia, the famous Lipizzaner stud farm, Zagreb and many more.
Istria for gourmets
The variety of Istrian cuisine comes from its rich history and the influences of foreign rulers, which are still to be found in numerous dishes. Elements of the Italian, European (Austria and Hungary) and Slavic are all represented in the Istrian kitchen. The north-western coast of Istria is rich in gastronmic delicacies: tasty mussels, the best sea-tongue from the Tarska Vala, delicious oysters from the Lim Fjord and the scampi from the bay of Kvarner. The centre of Istria offers traditional snails from Galizana, olive oil from Vodnjan and Tar, truffles from the valley of Mirna and the widely available wild mushrooms.
Wines
The Roman writers glorified not only the Istrian olive oil, but indeed the numerous wines of the Istrian peninsula. Wondrous powers were assigned to the Vinum Pucinum, and the Roman empress Julia Augusta thought she owed her vitality and unusual old age to the same wine. The great adventurer and lover Giacomo Casanova wrote in his famous memoirs about the excellent Istrian REFOSCO. The Austria-Hungarian monarchy also valued the high quality of Istrian wine. In 1875 in Porec, the mighty empire opened one of the three largest agriculture-wine schools of its time. The narrow railway line that was built from Trieste to Porec in 1902 is still affectionatly referred to by the locals as the wine-track. The most famous wines are Malvazija, Teran, Merlot, Hrvatica, Borgonja as well as a half-dry yellow and red Muskat. You can try these numerous wines in the various restaurants and konobas, as well as with the winemakers along the wine routes.
Istria is a wonderful world in miniature; it is the largest peninsula of the Adriatic, lies below the Alps, and is encircled by the Adriatic sea. Looking at the geographic map of Croatia you will find Istria immediately. It is based in the western-most part of the country, encircled by the sea, and it has the shape of a heart. The small islands and cultivated fields that stretch to the sea and a beautiful sunset, where the sun seems to melt into the sea, will stir the passions and will help you to discover new emotions. The eastern part of the peninsula is made of limestone. Its coast is full of rocks and high, nearly inaccessible, cliffs which will astonish you, and from the tops of which you will see the yellow and gilded sun that illuminates the landscape and the sea in a crystalline colour. In the spring and summer the landscape is covered in intense green, and in the autumn it is transformed magically into the colours of yellow and red that make the hills appear as if on fire. After you have tasted the oil of the olive and the truffle, you cannot but enjoy these simple foods for their intense flavour. Istria is a land rich with millennium history. Here were once settled Histrians, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Lombardies, and and in more recent ages also Venetians, the Napoleonic army and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. All of them have left indelible traces that have influenced not only the architecture but, above all, the culture of this world which always has been multiethnic and tolerant. Even today it is a land with many cultures and ethnic races, all living peacefully together.
Popular historical and natural attractions of Istria to visit are: the Eufrasian Basilica in Porec, from the sixth century, which in 1997 has been inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage List; the national park of Brijuni (Brioni) which consists of 14 islands and over the centuries has been a very popular holiday resort. The remains of some roman villas testify to the fact that many personalities from the XX century have chosen Brijuni for their vacation. The best known among these is surely the former President of Yugoslavia, Marshall Josip Broz Tito. The ancient city of Pula, today the economic centre of Istria, fascinates above all for its roman remains, still very well conserved, like the imposing amphitheatre, the beautiful August temple and many others. Fans of good food will find in Istria many restaurants and taverns, where tasteful local and regional specialties are served. Furthermore the region is known for its excellent wines, whose secret is jealously guarded in Istrian wine cellars. An, often recommended, wine from among many is Istrian Malvazia, a typical white wine from the region.
Young people who love the sun, the sea and entertainment, will surely not be disappointed, as all this is offered in the numerous tourist villages and in the holiday centres of Istria.
Although Istria is one of the well known Mediterranean regions for holidays, its inland areas are yet to be discovered. We are referring to "green Istria", with its green hills and small hilltop villages, the white cliffs, the forests, the limestone hollows, the small churches and the old medieval castles covered with ivy.
Porec is the main tourist centre of Istria, situated in the central part of Istria’s west coast. Its history has ancient origins and all the people who have dominated here have left indelible traces, like the Jupiter temple from Roman times, the Roman house and the house of the two holy ones from the Romanesque period. Many Gothic buildings are constructed in the Venetian style as well as other cultural monuments. The best known monument in Porec is for certain the Eufrasian Basilica, from the VI century, where there are conserved some wonderful mosaics of the Byzantine age and which in 1997 was inscribed on the World Heritage List under the protection of UNESCO. The beginnings of tourism date back to the XIX century, but the largest developments were made in the middle of the 60's and at the beginning of the 70's, continuing up to the end of the 20th century. Today, Porec is a celebrated tourist location, with countless facilities for those who love activity vacations ashore or on the sea, but also for lovers of culture, families with children and above all for young people, who can pass pleasant moments in the innumerable bars in the historic town centre. The hinterland offers wine trails, possibilities to rent country houses, medieval small towns and only 8 km away, the opportunity to visit the most well known cave in Istria at Baredine.
Excursions available: Venice, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Brijuni National Park, canoe safari, jeep safari, “Fish Picnic” boat excursion, visit to the city of Pula, Istria tour, visit to the Postojna coves in Slovenia, the famous Lipizzaner stud farm, Zagreb and many more.
