Why you need to go on a whistle-stop trip to Istria

Head north-west for a region with history, character and truffles, says Simon Calder
Cultural hub: the old town of Rovinj
Shutterstock / Marcin Krzyzak
Simon Calder29 April 2019

October was into its stride, but deep within Istria the sun refused to call it a day. As church bells chimed 7pm and night infiltrated from the east, the sky remained a canvas of pink and gold.

The EU’s choice of October 31, 2019, as Britain’s current departure date, provides the chance for an autumnal adieu before the sun looks likely to set on our unfettered freedom to travel.

You can indulge in the many virtues of Europe in Istria, the westernmost fragment of Croatia. It’s the heart-shaped territory, slightly larger than Dorset, that points south into the Adriatic. Istria has a much longer frontier with Slovenia than it does with the rest of Croatia, to which it is connected by a 10-mile neck of land.

Pula, the capital, is an excellent place to start an Istrian adventure. Despite James Joyce’s description of the city as a “naval Siberia”, it is a warm, welcoming and profoundly historic port. The Romans’ first-century colony, Polensium, left a gladiatorial arena that challenged the Colosseum in Rome for scale.

The western shore of Istria is notable for a deep and beautiful notch: Lim fjord, a Nordic feature transplanted to the Adriatic. On either side the legacy of the Venetian Republic lives on in Rovinj and Porec. In the latter, the Euphrasian Basilica is a sixth-century marble masterpiece that protects some intricate mosaics.

Further north along the coast, amid the atmospheric old town of Novigrad, fish restaurant Damir & Ornella dispenses a dinner that begins with raw Istrian squid and scallops and continues with gnocchi and the catch of the day. At 500 kuna (£60) it is one of the most expensive meals in Istria but a fraction of what you might pay across the Adriatic in Italy.

Pula’s ampitheatre
Shutterstock / RossHelen

Head inland to find a ripple of hills draped with vineyards, meadows and woodland — which is where, each autumn, dogs and pigs snuffle out truffles. The subterranean fungus is celebrated most exuberantly at the Zigante restaurant in the village of Livade, where each course is enriched with the flavours and aromas of truffles — to me a combination of woodsmoke, mushroom and autumn.

Spring, summer and winter too bring their own rewards in this European corner for all seasons. From Istria’s elements of cuisine, countryside and coast, embroider your own adventure.

Details: Istria, Croatia

Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Pula twice a week from Stansted, easyJet (easyjet.com) once a week from Gatwick.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in