Experiences

Food, wine, and truffles

Central Istria is one of the best places to eat in Croatia, and it starts at your door. Book a morning truffle hunt in the Motovun forest, where guides and their dogs dig out fresh truffles, then taste them with hand-rolled fuži. Sit down to a wine tasting at a one of many family wineries, including In Sylvis in the village, and try Malvazija, the crisp Istrian white, and Teran, the deep local red. Add an olive oil tasting along the marked Olive Oil Road, since Istrian oil is rated among the best in the world. For dinner, Konoba DOMA cooks boškarin beef and wild game over an open fire a few minutes away.

Cycling, nature, and family days

The quiet roads of Central Istria are made for active days. Ride the white gravel roads straight from the villa through vineyards and forest, or drive the bikes to the Parenzana trail, the former railway line that runs through Grožnjan and Motovun. Walk to the Pazin Cave and its gorge, the canyon that inspired Jules Verne, or take an easy path to the Zarečki krov waterfall. Families have the Pazin zip line over the canyon, and adrenaline Glavani Park with its high ropes and giant swing. Spring and autumn bring mild weather and roads with low traffic.

Towns, culture, and the coast

The most famous sights in Istria are about half an hour away. Pula is built around its Roman amphitheatre, the sixth largest in the world and one of the best preserved, with all four towers still standing, once filled with 20,000 spectators and now hosting summer concerts and the Pula Film Festival. Rovinj is one of the prettiest towns on the Adriatic, a cluster of colourful houses on a small peninsula, with cobbled lanes climbing to the church of St Euphemia and the artists' studios along Grisia street. Closer to home, wander the hill towns of Motovun and Grožnjan and see the Pauline monastery in your own village. When you want the sea, there are beaches, and boat trips to the Brijuni islands national park.