72 Hours on Croatia’s Istria Peninsula

Istria is a special place. Sticking out like an arrowhead into the Adriatic, and seemingly a world away from the tourist-packed streets of Split and Dubrovnik, this serene stretch of Croatian land can transport you into a different country altogether. Often called Croatia’s Tuscany, Istria is well known for its olive oil, wines, and best of all, truffles.

We made Rovinj the home base for our long weekend. Perfectly located on the coast, the old city of Rovinj juts out into the sea directly in the direction of Venice, Italy. Its most notable building, Church of St. Euphemia, sits atop the hill and is highlighted by a tower that sticks high in the air. Staying in the pedestrian-only old city was an ideal place to park ourselves as we explored Croatia’s lesser-known side.

Day 1 - Arrival

A 3-hour drive from Zagreb gets you to Rovinj. The leisurely version of this route lets you stop on the edge of Istria in the town of Matulji at Restaurant Dina for a proper cevapi and a beer before continuing on your way.

*If you’re staying in the old city of Rovinj (like we did) and you have a car, it’s important to note that you’ll have to park outside the city and lug your bags in. There’s a paid lot just outside the entrance where you can unload, and additional lots a bit further away where you can keep your car overnight.*

First stop once unpacked? Cocktails on the water at Mediterraneo Cocktail Bar. Nestled against the rocks, Mediterraneo’s relaxed vibe is exactly what we needed to wind down after a long drive. Nothing like a few espresso martinis and Aperol spritzes to kick a perfect night off.

For dinner night one, we lucked out and got a last-minute reservation at Michelin-star-rated Monte. Not knowing exactly what we were about to get into, we settled in for a 3-hour, 7-course meal complete with what seemed like an entire glass of wine per course. Think inventive food that actually leaves you satisfied. The staff couldn’t have been more accommodating, even saving a special romantic terrace for the two of us to enjoy our meal. Stumbling out into the rain after being (delightfully) overserved, we cautiously made it back down the slippery cobblestone streets to our AirBnb. Monte is the perfect special occasion dinner spot in an idyllic town. We still talk about the experience we had here, that’s how special it was.

Day 2 - Motovun

Waking up in the old city of Rovinj is hard to describe. The sound of vendors shuffling through the narrow streets prepping for a morning selling fruit and other goodies at the local market is the perfect wake-up call.

Today is the day to explore the inner beauty of Istria. Our itinerary has us making our way into wine, olive oil, and truffle country. What can go wrong?

The first stop is Damjanic Winery in Fuskulin for a primer tasting and some light cheese and meat bites. Solid choice to start the day.

Next tasting landed us at the well-awarded Ipsa olive oil and wine estate just outside of Motovun in Ipsi. The draw? In 2017, Ipsa’s Frantoio olive oil was considered the best monovarietal in the world. You don’t need to be convinced by the olive oil to be amazed by Ipsa. The views of Istria’s Tuscan-like rolling hills are on full display in their tasting room. A couple wines glasses of wine and a little bit of top-notch EVOO with amazing views…can’t beat it.

Now begins the fun part. We booked ourselves a private truffle hunting excursion complete with 2 truffle finding experts, Doki and Loki, our host’s trusty-nosed dogs. After meeting Nikola in the truffle capital of Livade, we took a short drive into the infamous truffle forest to hunt for goodies. It sounds glamorous but it’s basically dredging through the woods following manic dogs around in circles until eventually…they find one! Luckily Nikola was a good conversationalist, which helped the time pass as Doki and Loki did all the work. We ended up nabbing a few precious gems before hiking back to our car and heading up to Motovun for a truffle-showered Istrian dinner.

Motovun and Livade are well known as the truffle capitals of Croatia. What are truffles good for if they’re not draped over your favorite food, right? That’s what the restaurants nearby are famous for; taking amazing, almost more Italian style than Croatian dishes like pasta and carpaccio and covering them like a blanket in truffles. The spot we picked up at the top of the hill, Konoba Mondo, had come highly recommended and did not disappoint. We started with beef carpaccio with sliced parmesan and black truffle and finished by taking down creamy truffle risotto and truffle-laced penne alfredo. Top it all off on the terrace with an incredible sunset at the top of the hill. What a night!

Day 3 - Pula

Day 3 has us in store to take the short 40-minute drive from Rovinj to Pula, the historic town at the bottom of the Istrian peninsula most known for its history as a strategic port and made famous for its Roman ruins.

BUT, before we get there, it’s time for a highly recommended stop at another one of the world’s most famous olive oil farms, Chiavalon. 18 minutes outside of Pula and on the way from Rovinj, Chiavalon is a must-go. The modern facility still honoring old traditions blends incredible quality olive oil ready for tastings and served with a chilled shot of their farm-grown organic tomatoes, which blew me away almost as much as the silky golden oil did.

Okay, so before you get to Pula, and after buying a paycheck’s worth of olive oil, you must hit another pit stop. This time at Kumparička. What is Kumparička? Oh, just an organic family-run goat farm that makes some of the best fresh and aged cheeses that you can find anywhere in the world. Yeah, tucked into basically the middle of nowhere but somehow only a 25-minute drive from Pula, lies an operation of 300 goats pumping out milk seemingly made by the gods. The family running the farm turns that milk into a variety of beautiful cheeses that I believe you can only find in their shop and at the farmers’ market in Pula. We took the tour of the farm and facility before heading down into the cellar for a tasting of cheese ranging from fresh cheese made only 3 days before to a cheese aged so long it’s basically rotten and black, this one is not for the faint-hearted. Honestly, as cheese lovers, this was one of the surprise highlights of the entire stay in Istria.

Next, finally onto Pula. By this time we were full of cheese, bread, and oil, so not really in the mood for more food. Luckily Pula is steeped in history. The most famous attractions here are the Roman ruins and the Colosseum. Named the Pula Arena, this Roman amphitheater is the only remaining colosseum to have four side towers entirely preserved and is among one of the oldest and largest surviving Roman arenas. This was a great way to walk off the food in our bellies and prepare ourselves for dinner back in Rovinj.

Our last meal before leaving Istria was at La Puntulina. Known as one of Rovinj’s best local restaurants, Puntulina was packed when we walked in without a reservation. We had to wait a bit for a table, but that wasn’t a hard sell when they asked us to have a drink while we waited on their back terrace literally backed up against the Adriatic. A couple of nice glasses of wine primed us perfectly for a light meal of raw fish, fresh sardines, and octopus salad.

Wrap Up

As I write this, I’m thinking how I might be influencing more travel to this lesser-known peninsula. This is clearly great for the economy but ruins its well-kept secret. In all reality though, this place is too magical to keep to myself. The world deserves to understand that Croatia is much more than Game of Thrones, party islands, and the former home of Marco Polo. Istria’s rich history, depth of culture, and incredible food must be shared. Sadly, we have to leave, but we’re now on to the Dalmatian Coast. First stop, Split!