Holidays to Brtonigla

The original small town was erected on a scenic hill on the top of the remains of a former castle. Today, the village attracts people for the scenery, the authentic Istrian cuisine and locally made wine and olive oil. The white wine here is called Malvasia, the red is Teran.

Being so close to the Italian border, the place is officially bilingual and in 2011, interestingly, 40% of the populations declared themselves as ethnic Italians.

The mediaeval heart of the village is pretty, the Parish Church of St Zenon (patron saint of Brtonigla) has a 36 m high bell tower and the tiny church of St Rocco are worth seeing , the latter is right next door to Hotel San Rocco.

Truffle hunting is famous in this part of Istria with Italian visitors driving over for long weekends in spring and autumn just to do that. Livade is kind of “truffle central” and is just 25 minutes drive to the east. There are tasting, samplings, cookery classes, even hunting out in the forest with a local and his/her specially trained truffle hunting dog. Ask at reception of Hotel San Rocco.

Being so close to the coast and the wonderful Croatian sea and pristine beaches, Brtonigla really provides the best of both worlds (blue coast and green inland) in just one holiday.

Did you know?

• In this part of Istria, winemakers use the four types of Istrian soil as grapes are grown in red, black, grey and white earth.
• This area is famous for hilltop villages (stunning Groznjan and Motovun are 20 and 25 minutes away respectively), vast expanses of vineyards and olive groves and the products of these are prized.
• Other parts of Europe known for truffles are the Perigord region of France and in Piedmont in northwest Italy. As with those places, Istrian truffles are both black and white (white are the more highly prized)
• Guinness Book of Records lists the largest truffle in the world as coming from this region. It was found in 1999 by Giancarlo Zigante and his dog Diana. It weighed 1.31 kilograms.
• The Mirna river and valley runs below Brtonigla and there’s a riding stables there offering riverside and vineyard rides

Buje town

The mediaeval hilltown of Buje is just seven minutes drive south-west from Brtonigla. There are sleepy cobbled streets, romantic old buildings and stunning views over the surrounding countryside, some simple restaurants serving all local produce. It was once referred to as the “Watchtower of Istria” due to its elevated position overlooking two important transit routes. Don’t miss the 16th century loggia on the main square with a frescoed façade. The historic centre of Buje dates from the period spent under the rule of Venice (1412-1797) with two defensive towers still remaining. There's a small morning market and a small supermarket.