Our Family's Adventures in Croatia & Beyond: Longer venture into Istria

We just returned from a four day trip to Istria. I cannot say enough good things about this region. All four of us really enjoyed our time there. I suspect we'll be going back!

Istria is in the westernmost part of Croatia, and for much of the early twentieth century, it was part of Italy. The city and town names are all in both Croatian and Italian. I guess that Istria has frequently been compared to Italy's Tuscany region, seen as like Tuscany but for half the price. See, for example, this article in The Chicago Tribune.

Alison chose the place where we were going to stay in Istria. She really misses our rural town back in the States, and ever since we've been here, she wanted to get into the country again. She chose a gem--a house far off the beaten path that we all loved. Getting there was a bit tricky though. First, the map we had was not terribly detailed, so we took long, winding, poorly marked roads (Istria is filled with these) to get there. Second, once we arrived in Krmed, we had difficulty finding which house was the one we had rented, so I called the phone number I had for the owners. The woman with whom I spoke was fluent in Croatian, Italian, and German but did not speak any English. I spoke with her in my (limited) Croatian, and then J.D. talked with her in his (less limited) German. Eventually, her husband, Romano, showed up in Krmed and indicated that someone who spoke English would be coming soon. Together Romano and his friend Heinz, a retired German police officer who now lives in Krmed, warmly welcomed us.

The house we rented is approximately 200 years old and was recently renovated inside. Because it's off season in Istria, the price was right. (In fact, because it's off season, we felt like we had a lot of Istria to ourselves!)

Krmed. In the distance, you can see Caroline running toward our rental house.

Our rental home in Krmed

On the way to Krmed, we stopped in Hum, which claims to be the smallest town in the world. It was the first of many beautiful medieval towns we saw in the past week.

J.D. and I especially liked Rovinj, a small city on the western coast of Istria.

Balbi Arch, built in the 17th century, Rovinj

Playground, with the bell tower of St. Euphemia Church in the background

Coke ads by the playground

We also explored Pula's Roman amphitheater, built in the 1st century A.D. and one of the six largest Roman amphitheaters in the world. This place is truly awesome. For several centuries, this amphitheater was the site of gladiator fights, and today summer concerts are held there.

We visited Jama Baredine (the Baredine Cave) in Nova Vas. During the winter, it's only open by prior appointment, so we e-mailed in advance and got a private tour of this underground world, going about 200 feet down into the cave with a guide.