In this vlog we explore the Istria region in Croatia. We travel for 14 days through the beautiful green nature and explore cities such as the pearl of the Adriatic Sea, namely Rovinj, Porec, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the Roman amphitheatre in Pula, Casanova in Vrsar near the Brioni or Briuni islands, the Dinopark in Funtana, the truffle from the forests of Motovun and its Mirna valley, the ancient village of Buje, the smallest town in the world Hum, Veli Losinj with its Venetian harbours and lookout tower, the harbour of Mali Losinj with the museum of Apoxyomenes, the Aromatic Garden, the wellness spa, the medieval town of Osor which forms a connection between the island of Cres and Losinj, Lubenice, Lake Vrana where the griffon vulture still lives in the wild, the island of Krk with a unique taste in wines, some preserved on the seabed, Baska and its Glagolitic script, the smallest street in the world in Vrbnik, and the fortresses around the town of Krk. This and much more will be discussed in this series of videos.
The scent of lavender and jasmine. It’s everywhere. Delicious! The scent of delicious food… Of mussels and oysters from the Limski canal. The scent of truffles from the forests of Motovun. The wine flows freely from the bottle. Yes, indeed. This is Istria in the beautiful green north of Croatia. A Mediterranean climate prevails on the Adriatic Sea. Yes, make sure you apply plenty of sunscreen because temperatures on the coast in the summer can reach 30 degrees. Istria is surrounded by a beautiful blue sea, the population is very friendly and there is an ice cream parlor on every corner. The bears are on the rise in the many nature parks. And there is no shortage of culture. Istria bears witness to a turbulent past of Romans, Venetians and Austrians. Even the Romans already knew that Istria’s olive oil is among the best in the world. We are Bart and Lesley and we like to share our travel experiences via our YouTube channel Bart’s Travel & Music.
Today we arrive in Rovinj, about half an hour from Pula airport. Rovinj is a beautiful pearl on the Adriatic coast. A town with an eventful history. Both the Romans and the Venetians have left their mark. The Venetians lived here from the 8th century until 1797 and you can see that in the architectural style of the houses and the bell tower. The bell tower is reminiscent of that of Venice. Very typical of Rovinj are the colored houses in the narrow streets. Many boats are also painted in different colors.
After the Venetians ruled in Rovinj for 1000 years, Napoleon took over for a while. But in 1815 the Habsburgs took over power in Venice and Rovinj was also subjected to their authority. A lot changed. Among other things, the development of a railway network. The infrastructure was also improved by building schools, a hospital and a lighthouse. After the First World War, which led to the fall of the Habsburg monarchy, Rovigno, as it was called at the time, came into Italian hands in 1921.
After Italy capitulated during the Second World War in September 1943, the Germans occupied the city until the end of the war. In 1947, Croatia was part of Yugoslavia and many Italians emigrated. That was 3 quarters of the population in Rovinj. Croatia became independent in 1991.
There is a daily market in Rovinj and the narrow streets are home to many art galleries. We walk on to the St. Euphemia church.
Next to the St. Euphemia church is the bell tower that has a beautiful view of Rovinj and the surrounding islands. The bell tower looks very much like the one in Venice and that is not strange at all. Because it was born in the same period.
From Rovinj you can do beautiful cycling routes and there are enough shops that rent them out. You can cycle for kilometers through the Zlatni park. On the other side of Rovinj we follow the Strika Ferata route. The route is along the former railway line that connected the Austrian Empire with Rovinj. There are clear signs everywhere. Although we missed one and ended up at the nudist campsite of Valalta. No, we have no pictures of this.
On the way we pass vineyards and cycle to the Limski Fjord Canal. The Limski Canal is 35 km long and is a river that flows into the Adriatic Sea. You are surrounded by beautiful green surroundings. Oysters and mussels are also farmed in the Limski Canal.
We stay the first days of our tour in hotel Katarina, located on an island about 5 minutes by boat from Rovinj and with a view of the beautiful old town. The island hotel is surrounded by oleanders, pine trees and many other Mediterranean vegetation. There is a ferry every hour to the car-free city of Rovinj. There are hundreds of restaurants in Rovinj but if you want to stay quietly on Katarina Island, you can also dine in buffet form. And it is absolutely not expensive. Here it is wonderfully quiet.