Anyone who can do it, in the summer, heads to Green Istria, or Tuscany in Croatia, is guaranteed to never forget what you live there.
Due to its favorable geographical location, Croatia has been one of the most popular holiday destinations for Hungarians for many years. This is understandable, because our southern neighbor is the country where we can find our closest coastline, so most of them head to Zadar or Porec, and the most courageous venture as far as Makarska or Dubrovnik.
Inner Istria or Green Istria is the name of the place we have to visit in this case, which many also call “Croatian Tuscany”, not by chance. The countryside within the Istrian peninsula is teeming with rolling green hills, vineyards and olive groves, and anyone entering can feel like they’re in the middle of a French feature film. In addition to the wonderful natural endowments, the place also abounds with charming settlements, each of which brings its own unique character and interesting history, making the memory of the time spent here guaranteed to be unforgettable.
There is, for example, Svetvinčenat, a small village located between Pula and Bazín, which is home to one of the most beautiful and best-preserved castles in Istria, with a true Renaissance main square. There is even a small legend about the settlement: in the seventeenth century, Marie Radulovich, a woman accused of witchcraft, whose soul came to life in the ruins from time to time, was burned at the stake in the castle courtyard.
The town of Motovun is located on a hill in the valley of the Mirna River, and all of its ramparts tell the story. The settlement is also famous for the fact that it is the most well-known Istrian deposit of white truffle, and even today experts have not been able to decipher how truffles of the same quality as Alba truffles can grow here and in other Istrian settlements, so it is worth it. Motovunt to our boot menu.
Not far from the woods here is the town of Grožnjan, which offers its specialty with its cluster of olive groves and vineyards. From the height of Grožnjan’s city walls, the view extends from Ćiaria to Motovun, to the source of the Mirna River and to Istria in Istria. One of the city’s most beautiful attractions is the untouched medieval heart of the city, with its charming little cobbled streets, as a romantic getaway destination.
Also in the Green Istria are Hum, the smallest city in the world with its seventeen inhabitants, Kringa, where legend has it that a vampire was terrified by the inhabitants, and Pazin, which is not only of Jules Verne’s novel. The streak can go on for a long time, but it already shows that Croatia is much more than a great beach, so if you want to go on an exploratory vacation, you should not miss your vacation with our southern neighbor. All you have to do is target the green heart of Istria rather than the sea, we guarantee you will not be disappointed.
