Whistlestop drive through Istria!
It has become a popular, trendy region (especially with the Italians due to its proximity to the Italian boarder) known for fantastic restaurants and award-winning wines (not to mention truffles – if you have a taste for them – I don’t!)
We crossed the border at, and drove briefly through, Slovenia which was very pretty, and we plan to go back and explore this country another time.
First stop, Rovinj which, I am certain, must be one of the most romantic towns on the Croatian coast. It features a hilltop church with panoramic views, a charming old town with narrow, cobbled streets, elegant piazzas, bathing rocks, a plethora of seafront restaurants and bars and numerous galleries.
We did a quick drive through Pula and stopped for a late and delicious fish lunch (freshly cooked calamari) on the outskirts before driving onto bustling Opatija. Popular for its grand spa hotels and spectacular location the town sprawls along the coast with the waterfront connected by a promenade. There aren’t any beaches (Croatia is not renowned for them of course) but there are still lots of little sheltered bays along the coast for swimming. The town provides some excellent restaurants and in neighbouring Volosko (where we spent a night), there is a very relaxed atmosphere (popular with locals) in the busy little bars and restaurants down at the waterfront.
From Opatija, we drove down the wiggly coast road to Starigrad Paklenika (north Dalmatian coast) – this route provided magnificent views of the large and barren islands which looked more like the mainland than islands and with some steep drops and views down to the clear blue Adriatic it was well worth keeping off the toll roads and motorway to reach our destination.