San Canzian Hotel & Residences

Worth getting out of bed for

A growth area in all senses – in fact, Istria’s been touted as ‘under the radar’ for so long it’s surely due for discovery – this beguiling peninsula works all kinds of magic: stitched-in-time settlements with huge personalities, persevering folk tales of vampires and giants, the distant wink of the Adriatic’s blue… The hotel’s home village of Mužolini Donji may only have three permanent residents and be but a Dalmatian dot of loveliness; however, it’s within reach of Michelin-starred eateries, art havens, distilleries and wine cellars, and truffle-treasure-hunt woods. To start, you needn’t venture far from your room – acquaint yourself with Istria’s liquid gold on an olive-oil tasting in the restaurant, accompanied by bread, cheeses and prosciutto plus a flight of three brandies (pace yourself, it’s potent stuff) and a glass of local wine. Or, when in season, join an Istrian family and their pack of dogs with finely honed noses to hunt down truffles. You’ll sit down to lunch with your finds (or ones they snuffled out earlier) before a tour of a distillery for tots of potent biska (a fruit brandy), mistletoe brandy, teranino brandy (derived from a sweet red wine) and samplings of dandelion, fig and blueberry jams. If your sight’s not swimming in a brandy-induced stupor, then feast your eyes on former Roman colony Poreč, famous for its Euphrasian basilica, followed by a jaunt to fishing port Rovinj and gastronomic Bale Village on a private tour. There’s also an exploration of Istria’s mediaeval marvels: tripping along the cobblestone streets of hilltop Motovun, and musing over the galleries and studios of ‘town of artists’ Grožnjan, or revel in Pula’s glorious Roman amphitheatre, and pootle about Brijuni National Park on a golf cart, making stops for dinosaur footprints, wild-animal sightings and a photo exhibition dedicated to former Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito. If that ride isn’t sweet enough for you, hotel staff can hire you a much sexier Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabrio II for the day. Cyclists can follow the famed Parenzana trail, which runs along a disused railway line connecting Poreč, Koper and Trieste; over four hours a guide will navigate as you pedal past dollhouse villages and unspoilt greenery and through the Mirna Valley, pausing for lunch at a cosy tavern.

Local restaurants

Istria is in the Goldilocks zone when it comes to dining, with its proximity to the sea for flavourful crustacea and ropes of oysters, terrain where ingredients from olives to oranges grow abundantly, and farms that have been honing their skills for generations. But, that porridge-stealing wench wishes she could eat this well – folded into foothills and presiding over picturesque coastal stretches are restaurants with phenomenal reputations and the accolades to back it up. In Rovinj, Monte’s all-white dining room is a blank canvas for its three tasting menus dubbed ‘red’, ‘blue’ and ‘green’. Red delves into tradition, with suckling pig, Boškarin beef and apple with rose ice-cream; Green is vegetarian with a spinach, pumpkin and goat’s cheese strudel and chicory tatin; and Blue switches focus to fish, with Kvarner Gulf scampi dumplings and mango-spiked scallops. More traditional Puntulina is practically next door, serving truffle ravioli, grilled shrimp with olive oil and lemon, and olive-crusted catch of the day. Set in a liqueur factory, much-loved Stari Podrum has stone walls and a heavy hand with the truffle shaver. The menu changes seasonally but expect game, comforting pastas and tiramisu with locally picked strawberries – washed down with a sweet silky muscat.

Local cafés

Rovinj’s Buffet Trevisol is set in a charming old-school building and has a small patio with chintzy sofas – it serves top coffee, but also wine and mojitos, which you can pair with lashings of cheese and prosciutto.

Local bars

For some reason, the Istrians of yore didn’t think to sprinkle a few banging clubs throughout the woods. The absence is kind of the point, but if you’re desperate, then Pula’s hard-rocking ‘disco and burger club’ Uljanik or Porec’s sleeker and sexier Byblos have got you covered.