Green Istria: medieval hill towns, olive groves, and vineyards

Istria in the world’s media

International perspectives on the region

Istria’s history, hill towns, landscapes, and flavors continue to draw international media attention. These selected features show how leading publications tell the region’s story beyond its borders.

From a guide’s notebook

Stories discovered along the way

A guest’s question, a half-open doorway, a dialect word, or an unexpected detour can transform a story. After more than 25 years, every tour still reveals something new.

Flavors and seasons

The landscape reaches the table

Wild asparagus announces spring, sardines tell the story of the coast, the grape harvest colors late summer, while truffles and freshly pressed olive oil belong to autumn. They are more than foods: they carry work, family memory, and Istrian identity.

Places I enjoy eating

Beyond Michelin stars: my personal favorites

Istria has earned an important place in the MICHELIN Guide. Its best-known names include Ana Roš with JAZ in Poreč, Emanuele Scarello and resident chef Simone De Lucca of Agli Amici in Rovinj, and Danijel Đekić of Monte. Alongside them are many less celebrated chefs and restaurateurs who are just as devoted to local flavors, traditional recipes, and the quality of fresh ingredients. After all, lunch or dinner is not only about what arrives on the plate: it is an experience to enjoy and a lovely memory to take home.

I must be honest: I have not yet had the opportunity to try Istria’s Michelin-starred restaurants, but I will certainly treat myself to this special gourmet experience. For now, I can recommend places I genuinely know—chosen for their atmosphere, the quality of their ingredients, and the pleasure of returning.

As the years go by, I find myself choosing fish, shellfish and scampi more often, together with seafood spreads and salads or a good risotto. In Pula, I enjoy Volaria at Marina Tehnomont and Konoba Feral. In Fažana, I recommend Sapori di Mare and, before a trip to the Brijuni Islands, Taverna Fasana. In Rovinj, I gladly return to Kantinon and Giannino; Rio Bar is a lovely choice for pasta and a good wine list. Kantinon and Rio Bar also offer beautiful views of Rovinj’s Old Town.

Among the relaxed, unpretentious places where the food is genuinely good, I would also mention Sveti Mikula in Rakalj, by the sea beside the lighthouse, for excellent fish, shellfish, and Kvarner scampi. Of course, Istria has many more fine konobas and restaurants—we will save those for another time.

Words, dialects, and traditions

When Pula speaks Istro-Venetian

Istro-Venetian is one of Istria’s historic voices. It is still spoken in several communities today, especially along the coast but elsewhere too, with shades of pronunciation and vocabulary that vary from town to town.

My Italian guests are often pleasantly surprised to discover that we still speak Istro-Venetian here in Istria. During my walks through Pula, I enjoy taking guests to the wall of the Italian Community, known locally as the Circolo. It is covered with words from Pula’s local form of speech, known as el dialetto polesan: cucal, caligo, vin, strussa, stramasso, pindolon, bagolina, mona… Italian guests have fun guessing which words they recognize, what the others might mean, and whether they resemble expressions from the dialects spoken in their own regions. It is a small game that opens a conversation about language, memory, and the many ties that cross the Adriatic. A simple wall often becomes one of the liveliest stops on the tour.

Calle, spàcio, batana, bitinade, marenda, and fritaja: each word holds a way of living, working, singing, and gathering together. They reveal how deeply the cultures that have shaped Istria over the centuries remain intertwined—and how they continue to shape its identity today.