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After leaving our beautiful room in Zagreb and saying goodbye to those who were the first hosts in Croatia, we went to look for our new adventure company: Lobster, a red stroller that will take us to discover Croatia, from Zagreb to Dubrovnik. First stop? Istria!

Istria is a peninsula located between Trieste (Italy) and the coast of Kvarner (Croatia). It is a very interesting region, with a lot of history (did you know for example that from 1918 to 1947 it belonged to Italy?) And many attractions that lovers of relaxation, gastronomy, nature and good wine like to human lizards who only need sun and beaches to be happy.

There is two different itineraries What can be done in Istria: The green and the blue. We made a mix of the two and we think we were right! Here we are going to tell you about our days visiting this beautiful area and, of course, everything (or almost everything) there is what to see in Istria:

GREEN ISTRIA

It is no coincidence that it is known as the 'Croatian Tuscany ': Istria is a perfect region for rural tourism thanks to its hills dotted by small villages with its stone houses, with steeples that graze the sky, rivers and green fields and vines that perfume the air. The green Istria will delight lovers of rural tourism, nature, gastronomy (don't miss the truffles!) And wine (Malvasia forever!).

These are the prettiest villages in Istria and it is worth a visit:

Motovun: one of the most interesting medieval villages and with a record that just tires us to read it: 1,052 steps that go from below to the top of the hill of the town ... do you dare?
Pazin: With its 10,000 inhabitants it is the largest city in Inner Istria, don't miss its castle!
Groznjan: known as the 'city of artists' since its streets are full of art galleries and artisan shops.

Although our advice is to rent a car and get lost in the wonders of this part of Istria ... and when you're done you can go to your other side: Blue Istria!

BLUE ISTRIA

Beaches with blue and crystalline waters, hidden, lonely and beautiful coves, km of coasts and islands that await you to leave you speechless ... yes, do not forget cat's feet or simple flip flops that fit well, that the beaches they are made of stone (we went with flip flops me and Rober with nothing and we survived, everything is said :-p).

There are many beautiful beaches of Istria, and although we have read on several occasions that they are not even the most beautiful beaches in Croatia, we leave this enchanted region of life! Since we didn't have much time we decided to devote ourselves to touring the premantura peninsula and the beaches of Verudela. The verdict? A little paradise! As proof we leave you a few photos, look look:

The interesting thing about the coastal area is that its villages are charming: the two best known and most visited cities are without a doubt Polish, which was our base, and Rovinj.

Polish It is famous worldwide for housing the very well preserved remains of a Roman amphitheater which was built between 27 a. C. and 81 d. C. Its historic center does not fall short: in Pula you can see thearc of triumph of the Sergius,that in the past was the gateway to the city, or the beautiful Augustus temple, rebuilt after being bombed in World War II. Pula deserves a full post, don't worry it will come llegará

Rovinj It has been love at first sight: its historic center is a true charm, full of balconies with clothes hanging, flower corners, rock stairs and colorful windows ... come on, the typical Venetian village that drives us crazy (we already 1538 million more tourists ... how much rock!).

A special mention deserves the people ofOpatija which we visited in passing (coming from Zagreb and on the way to Split). We found it a very interesting city, especially if you are a lover of architecture: small hotels, piece of villas, incredible houses ... pijitas but (luckily) dreaming does not cost, and we have already imagined riding a virtual hostel on a cliff that receives the breeze of the Adriatic (and from time to time the fort bora that comes from the north).

Istria was a very nice surprise of our trip to Croatia and for me it was a bit like coming home: not only because this region belonged to Italy, nor why almost everyone speaks Italian, but my house is only about 130 km away ... and yes, I have lived 9 months in the antipodes and had never visited Istria :-p

USEFUL INFO

€ 1 = 7.5 kunas
How to get there by car from Zagreb without paying tolls: you can follow the route that says google maps. Once on the road you know that the indications in green are by highway (that is paying toll) and the indications in blue and yellow are from local roads (that is free). If you go through the latter, it calculates that it will take you longer to arrive, but they usually go through much nicer places.

Where to sleep: We slept two nights in Pula at GH Anton, the home of a couple of very nice grandparents. She, Silvana, speaks perfectly Italian 🙂 The double room (common bathroom) cost us € 20 (€ 10 per head). It is about 10-15 minutes walk from the historic center of Pula. It has parking and free wifi.
Where to eat in Pula: We did not find it a completely cheap city although you can eat well for about 35-45 kuna per head without drink (drinks cost about 20 kunas for soft drinks or 15-30 kunas for beers). We recommend the restaurant / pizzeria Pompeii (pizzas from 35 kunas). It is near the pizzeria Ragno d'oro that also looked good. Both are located on Clarisseauova street, very central. We also recommend the restaurants next to the Augustus temple where there are dishes of the day for 45 kunas (squid, chicken, cevapcici, fish ...)