DAY 1
D included
Meeting at Zagreb airport around midday, we have a scenic drive (3 hrs) to the southern part of the peninsula and our boutique seafront 4-star hotel in the village of Fažana, one of the favourite haunts of the former president of Yugoslavia, Josip Tito.
DAY 2
B, L, D included
In Nesactium, the deserted and tourist-free home of the King of the Histri, conquered by the Romans in 177 BC, we learn about this local tribe, which gave the peninsula its name. At Cape Kamenjak, the southern-most point of Istria, we wander on the narrow headland, a nature reserve protecting over 20 species of orchids. We explore the area on foot, looking for species such as Pink Butterfly Orchid, Bertoloni’s, Dark or Bumble Bee Ophrys. After an agrotourism lunch of farm produce, a short drive takes us to Pula, Istria’s largest city and a major port, where we visit the 1st century BC Pula Arena, one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world.
DAY 3
B, L, D included
Our walk (2.5 hrs) this morning follows a wide track at the bottom of the fertile Lim valley, starting from the ruins of the mediaeval fortified town of Dvigrad and arriving for a seafood lunch by the sunken 10-kilometre-long estuary. In nearby Rovinj, a Venetian port for centuries, we explore the picturesque harbour and the cobbled lanes of the old town leading to the hilltop church of St. Eufemia, a local saint and legend.
DAY 4
B, L, D included
Moving into the interior of the Istrian peninsula, we follow a woodland path (3 hrs) to the Chapel of our Lady of the Rocks, near Beram. The frescoes, dating from 1475, vividly depict the Adoration of the Magi and feature a detailed Danse Macabre. In the afternoon, we join Nicola for an adventure in truffle-hunting or truffle-not-finding dependent on his dogs. Our ultimate destination is the hilltop town of Motovun, where we stay for 3 nights at a comfortable 3 star hotel set in a reconstructed mediaeval palazzo on a chestnut tree-filled square. We walk around the Venetian 14th century battlements before a dinner featuring local black truffles.
DAY 5
B, L, D included
AA morning’s walk (2.5 hrs) on a marvellous ridge across the heart of Istria leads us to the splendidly sited mediaeval village of Draguć, where we see the frescoes in the little chapel of St. Roch and, with luck and the correct key, a relic of St. Elias. After a rustic lunch nearby, we drive to the village of Oprtalj, where we wander through the historic centre of this almost deserted mediaeval town. Later, we proceed to the start of our walk (1.5 hrs) to the picturesque hilltop village of Grožnjan, well known for its artists and Summer Music School.
DAY 6
B, L, D included
A leisurely departure allows us to explore Motovun’s mediaeval charms, including the parish church erected to a design by Andrea Palladio, buy presents to take home in the truffle shops or relax in the indoor pool of our hotel. Later, a track following a section of a disused railway brings us to the frescoed Romanesque Church of St. Barnabas in Vižinada (2.5 hrs). We continue to Poreč to visit the fine 6th century Euphrasian Basilica.
DAY 7
B, L, D included
We explore the ‘Glagolitic Way’, celebrating the ancient Slavonic script, on our way to the village of Hum, officially the smallest ‘town’ in the world. 21 inhabitants of Hum enjoy a 1,000-year architectural and civic heritage and the church of St. Hieronymous contains remains of 12th century Byzantine frescoes. Leaving Istria behind, we head for the Kvarner Gulf and the village of Lovran. We follow the coastal path leading past the botanical gardens and fin-de-siècle villas to Opatija, once the favoured Adriatic resort of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor, Franz Joseph, and our seafront 4-star hotel.
DAY 8
B included
A morning transfer (2 hrs) to Zagreb airport concludes our holiday.