Crossroads of Adriatic Day 13

May 12, 2007 – Saturday – Free Day in Lovran–Optional Hill Towns of Istria Tour

We woke up to sunny skies on the Adriatic Coast again today. After showering and having breakfast, we had time to check our email and then met our group at 9 AM.

Today is a free day in Lovran with an optional Hill Towns of Istria tour. There are enough people going today so we were happy to have the opportunity to see another part of Croatia.

We left the hotel at 8:55 and Nik had to make a U-turn near the beach giving some people on the left side of the bus (me) a typical scene. Many on the beach are topless and some nude, which Tammy explained to be normal especially with the older population and Northern European tourists.

Nik took us on a very scenic route through residential streets to the top of the mountain above our hotel. We then connected to the main road going WNW through the Učka Tunnel again to enter the Istrian Peninsula.

Tammy gave us a brief history of the Glagolitic alphabet and the importance of translating the Bible into the Slavic languages. Three months after Gutenberg invented the printing press, books were being printed in Glagolitic in Roc, Croatia.

We traveled along a scenic stretch of road through vineyards and fields to visit many hilltop villages and towns, some of which were originally occupied by Illyrian tribes when they first settled here almost 3,000 years ago.

Our village guide Mateja met us at the gate of the thick walled entrance of Roc, a medieval community now housing 200 inhabitants. She took us to the tiny church with 14th century frescoes telling stories of the Bible. In addition, carved into the frescoes are 14th century graffiti written in the Glagolitic alphabet.

Our next stop was a demonstration of the early printing presses. Having a book in one’s house was very important, very expensive, and a status symbol during this time period. Even though most people could not read, they would hire someone who could their books to them.

She also explained the Glagolitic alphabet that has capital and lower case letters as well as the script form. There were no numbers so a dot in front of a letter signified a specific number.

Our next adventure was to visit a 14th century beautiful baroque church with a 200 year old pipe organ. The organist is 93 years old and still playing every week. We walked around to the back of the church and saw the date of restoration – 1492!

We visited Motovun, one of the region’s 136 medieval towns, and saw its original 14th-century walls. From its perch high on a hilltop, we enjoyed the scenic views of the Mirna Valley and surrounding countryside.

The area around Motovun is especially rich in truffles, and during the fall and winter there are said to be some 12,000 dogs wandering the Istrian forests sniffing around for this expensive delicacy. The white truffles are the most pricey; one the size of a marshmallow can cost $100!

We were invited into a wine and truffle shop, Etnobutiga ČA, owned by our host Leo who explained the significance of the delicacy to the area. We had an opportunity to taste various kinds of truffle pate and sample some red Teran and white Malvasia wines. We also tried his homemade brandy of mistletoe and honey.

We had time on our own to walk around the village and explore the walled city. Several famous people have come from Motovun, among them, Josef Ressel who invented the ship’s propeller, Andrea Antico a composer, and Mario Andretti, the famous race car driver.

There is also an international film festival held there annually in July. It is becoming a must for independent film makers; interestingly the symbol for the festival is Ressel’s propeller.

We found our way back the slippery cobblestone streets, worn smooth by the footsteps of thousands of people over hundred of years. We met our group at the cypress grove near the cemetery at 1 PM.

It was just a short drive to our lunch at Stefanic’s Agro tourism farm. Tammy explained that everything served has to be produced by the farm in order to maintain its designation in the new and booming industry.

We were greeted with a glass of local cherry brandy. We had a wonderful lunch of bean and barley soup, salad, homemade gnocchi and pasta with meat and gravy. For dessert we had a baked pear served in a cherry wine sauce. After generous carafes of both white and red wines our 90 trip back to Lovran was very quiet!

We reached our hotel 4:30 and said goodbye to Nik who is leaving the tour today. I checked the temperature and it was 76°and 70% humidity back on the beach.

We had time to check our emails, look at the great photos we took today, and remember one of our most favorite days in Croatia. At 7 PM we went down to dinner and ate a very light meal with Robert and Sue. We took a walk along the sea and were back in our room to pack and get ready to depart tomorrow morning.

Hotel Park - - - Meals: B, L, D

Video - Concertina in Roc, Croatia - Time: 1:58

If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.

To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

Day 10: Mediterranean Navigation

Antonio, Our Guide

Gardens at the Alcazaba

Roman Theater

Visiting with Picasso

Gennie & Vic, Malaga 2004

Previous Next

Day 10 - Tuesday, March 11, 2025 –Ship Docked in Málaga, Spain; Costa del Sol; Andalusia

The Clio docked at the Port of Malaga just before midnight enabling us to have a very calm night’s sleep. The alarm went off at 7:15 and we had...

Continue Reading Day 10