If olive groves sharing the landscape with palm trees and the sea on the background is your idea of paradise, Istria is your ideal choice.
Istria is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic, situated at the most western part of Croatia. It is rich in historical landmarks such as the Roman amphitheatre, Byzantine mosaics and Baroque places. The coastal part is oriented toward tourism with great accommodation capacity. The inland part is more mystic, greener and unique. Small medieval towns on the hilltops are overlooking vineyards, olive groves and fields enriching body and soul. The landscape is versatile, from the mountain tops of Ucka to Kamenjak cape, from brackish water of the Lim bay and the valley of Mirna River to Motovun forest and Istrian hills. Beautiful nature awaits you even under the surface in Cave Baredine hides mysterious world of stalactites and rare animal species. Natural beauty of the region are the Brijuni islands. They are the majestic mix of landscape and cultural heritage consisting of 14 islands. The biggest ones, Veli Brijun and Mali Brijun, have been settled from prehistory. The islands were declared a national park in 1983, several years after death of the president of former Yugoslavia, Tito who used the islands as his residence. You can reach Brijuni via boat from Fažana where administration of the NP is located. By choosing Istria for your vacation, you chose automatically an exquisite gastronomic experience. Istria is the kingdom of the rare and valuable truffles, grapevine growing on the sunny hills of the red and white soil used for producing top quality white and red wine, and olive oils whose quality is testified by a growing number of Istrian producers listed in the famous olive oil guide L´Extravergine. Istria is one of the best tourist destinations in Croatia for families with children. Choice is really wide and you can not go wrong no matter what you choose. Many entertainment activities on the beaches, swimming pools, hotels, tourist resorts and apartments will be splendid for children while you will be able to relax properly. There are also many other options for active vacations for you. The easiest options are swimming, biking, trekking, hiking, diving, horse riding and tennis. There are about 450 tennis courts and Umag hosts the annual ATP tour, the Croatia Open. For those loving adventure, Istria is known as a great destination for paragliding and speleology.
Interesting things about Istria or »did you know that«
... Istria is the largest penisula of the Adriatic Sea.
... Istria is the most western located region of Croatia.
... Istria is the closest Mediterranean to Central Europe.
... Istria is located on the 45th-parallel north latitude, the idyllic parallel that says that our peninsula is located exactly halfway of the northern hemisphere, exactly halfway between the equator and the North Pole. The famous 45-parallels that says that in Istria the four seasons most regulary change.
... Istria takes in 2 820 square kilometers.
... Istrias coastline with numerous bays, peninsulas and islands is 537 km long
... the highest mountain in Istria is Učka (1 396m)
... The longest river in Istria is the river Mirna (32 km).
... Istria has a whopping 636 villages and cities and more than 200 000 inhabitants.
... The largest town in Istria is Pula (58.594 inhabitants).
... The smallest city in Istria is Hum. Hum is also the smallest city in the world.
... The most sothern located town in Istria is Premantura.
... The best protected port in Istria is Pula. The Bay is tucked into the mainland for 4 km. In the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Pula was not only geographically the most protected, but also military, in dozens of forts this military center was kept safe by 562 cannons.
... The westernmost building of Istria (and thereby Croatia) is a beacon in Savudrija. It is the largest lighthouse in Istria, it is 36 m high and built in 1818.
... The largest nudist center in Istria, as well as in Europe, is the Koversada near Vrsar. In one day it can accommodate up to 12 000 tourists.
... The average air temperature in Istria in the coldest month (February) is 6 ° C and warmest average temperature in July is 23 ° C. The annual average is 14 ° C.
... Average sea temperatures in Istria are as follows: 9 ° C coldest and hottest 24 ° C.
... The largest animal in Istria is the Istrian Ox - Boškarin. A domestic animal 180 cm tall, over 1200 kg heavy. (A stone monument in full size is located in Porec in front of the hotel "Parentium").
... From around ten different winds recognized by the local fishermen, we will mention two most typical: the cold and sunny Bora and the warm and rainy Jugo.
NATURAL PHENOMENA AND NATURE PARKS
Brijuni Islands - National Park, an archipelago of 14 small islands.
The Lim Fjord – an unresolved puzzle of nature (fjord, or bay, or canal, and the remain of a prehistoric river) a long narrow bay - 12 km dragged into the land (the average width of 600 m, maximum depth 35m).
The Pazin Pit - A unique natural phenomenon. Through a large crater, below the high cliffs, the Pazinčica stream plunges underground.
Cape Kamenjak - southernmost peninsula on the peninsula of Istria. Long "fingers" surrounded by winds in the Adriatic islands.
Baredine cave – a beautiful karst phenomenon, a treasury of stalagmites and stalactites. In the cave lives an endemic animal – the manfish.
Istrian Spa (Istarske Toplice), ST. STJEPAN - The highest natural stone obelisk (vertical rocky cliff 85 meters high).
INTERSTING HISTORICAL FACTS
The first mention of Istria and Histrians, dates from the 6th ct. B("Tour of the country," geographer Hecataeus Hegesandrov of Miletus).
The Amphitheater (Ist century ) the popular Arena, is the largest ancient building in Istria, it has elliptic shape and its dimensions are: 132m x 105m, height 32m.
The remains of the largest ancient temple are located in Porec. The Great Temples (Ist century) dimensions are: 30m x 11m.
Patron of Istria is St. Mauro. He is the patron of Porec, and the Diocese of Poreč and Pula.
The Euphranasius Basilica in Porec from the 6th century is on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage.
The oldest lighthouse in Istria is located on the islan or St.. Nikola. It was built 1403.
The largest and best preserved frescoes from the 15th century are in the St. Mary of the Rocks inBeram and St. Barnabas church in Vižinada
The largest pillar of shame is in the village near Buzet - Salež. The stone pillar with a human face is from 1769 the height is 2 m.
The highest churchtower in Istria is the tower of the church of St.Blaž (which is also the largest in Istria), its height is 60 m.
The only "twin" towers in Istria are located in Medulin.
Motovun is the best preserved medieval town in Istria.
Dvigrad – the largest city ruins. It was abandoned in the 17th century after a plague epidemic. The monument, extends on 16 000 sq m.
The largest Monastery in Istra is located in Sveti Petar u Šumi. It belonged to the Paulines from 1459, although the first mention is fraom 1176th as a Benedictine monastery.
"La Parenzana (Porečian) is a narrow gauge railway from Trieste to Porec, built from 1902 until 1935. It was also called the "wine track". The line is has a total of 604 turns and is located in northwestern Istria. The route has nine tunnels with a total length of 1530 m.
Robert Koch, the famous scientist andinventor of tuberculosis vaccine, has a monument on the island of Brijuni.
Istria has its own leaning tower. It is a bell tower in Završje 22 m tall and bent 40 cm.
The largest kažun (round stone hut) in Istria is in Galižana its height
The space
Our second home is located in Medulin in a best location right on the seafront and facing south-west. The property was fully renovated in 2012. There are four bedrooms and a large living room which are all air-conditioned. There is a well-equipped kitchen. The floors are connected to each other by an internal staircase. There are two covered terraces on the top floor with sea view. The terrace on the ground floor is shaded by an extendable awning on hot days. The terrace on the ground floor also has a view of the sea. There are 4 parking spaces, garden lounge and a swimming pool on the property. As the sandy beaches, restaurants, shops and cultural attractions are nearby, cars or personal vehicles are not needed to explore the area. But if you want to explore Istria, the car is a must. There is a small marina located on the opposite side of the house.You can rent boats or use boat taxi to explore Medulin's archipelago.
Guest access
The house has two floors. Kitchen, living room, one bedroom and one bathroom are in the ground floor and three bedrooms, one bathroom and laundry room are in the second floor. Guests have full acces to all rooms.
Notes
Medulin is a lovely seaside village only around 8km south-east of Pula. Not especially a ‘sight’, but somewhere where everyone gathers, is the town’s main promenade right in front of our house. Head accross the street in the early evening and join the locals and other holidaymakers in strolling away to your heart’s content. There’s a number of restaurants, cafes and bars here, plus plenty of ice cream vendors, stall holders (selling little knick knacks) and souvenir shops.
Medulin is home to a 1km-long sandy beach called Bijeca. It is reasonably shallow, making it ideal for those with little ones in tow, and you can rent sun loungers and umbrellas.You can also use any beach around, also in from of hotels or in camping.
House rules
Suitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets not allowed
No smoking
Dates of Availability
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Neighbourhood
You are in the middle of everything the village offers. So, depending of the season, it could very crowded (mid June, July, August) or very calm and pleasant (rest of the year).
Getting around
There are many restaurants just few minutes walk from the house. Our first neighbour is also a restaurant. The nearest grocery shop is only few minutes by foot.
Map of Approximate Location
Feedback
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Premium
Suzana
We are a family of four. Zara is 24, Luka 19 and me and my husband Andrej 54. We both work for Slovenian national broadcaster. We live in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in three bedroom apartment with garden. We also have two beach houses in Croatia (Medulin, region of Istria). The bigger house with the pool is usually booked during summer but it is free for exchanges from October till mid May. The smaller two bedroom house can also be exchanged during summer. We usually travel in February, May, July and August.
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