Crossroads of the Adriatic Tour
Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia
May 23 - June 12, 2015
Part Five - Back to Croatia
Page Thirteen - Hill Towns of Istria
View of Opatija, Croatia as we were heading
to the hill towns of Istria.
After an overnight in Opatija, we took a day trip to the Istria region
of Croatia, where there are 136 medieval hill towns.
A view of the countryside from the hilltop town of Motovun.
Motovun city gate
Motovun is a medieval town that grew up on the site of an ancient city.
It is situated on a hill with houses scattered all over the hill. In the 10th
and 11th centuries it belonged to the Bishop of Parenzo. From 1278 it
was taken over by Venice and surrounded by solid walls which are still
intact today, and used as a walkway with unique views over the four
corners of Istria. All three parts of the town are connected by a system
of internal and external fortifications with towers and city gates built
between the 14th and 17th centuries.
Another countryside view from Motovun
A Motovun resident relaxing at a restaurant.
St. Stephen Church in Motovun
View of part of the town of Motovun from a high point in the town.
The late-Renaissance church of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen) was built right
at the beginning of the 17th century in accordance with sketches probably
designed by a Venetian architect.
Taken from the wall that runs around the town.
Motovun homes and church in the foreground.
Typical narrow street in Motovun
This woman, with her husband, runs a small shop that
sells their handmade wooden products.
This man and his trained dog hunt for truffles around the roots of trees.
A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean fungus.
Some of the truffle species are highly prized as food. We saw a demo
of the dog at work, sniffing the ground for truffles.
Motovun from a distance.
Pat with Motovun in the background.
We had hot, sunny weather throughout
the trip.
We stopped at a family-run distillery in the town of Buzet
for a tour. At the end of the tour, they offered us samples of their
different varieties of brandy. Rest assured that I did not drink
the brandy that was in all of the glasses in front of me and my
hands. There were two
other people at the table with me.
This brandy is A okay! The 15 varieties of brandy
were listed on the menu that you can see on the table.
Link to Part Six, Page Fourteen - Slovenia: Postojna Cave and Lake Bled
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