Istria

A large, triangular peninsula pointing south into the northern Adriatic.

Istria contains many of the country’s most developed resorts, along with old Venetian town’s like Poreč and Rovinj and the port of Pula, home to some impressive Roman remains. Inland, Istria, is characterized by sleepy hilltop villages, often dramatically situated, like, Motovun, Grožnjan, Roč and Hum – each mixing medieval architecture with rustic tranquillity.

Immediately south of Istria, the island-scattered Kvarner Gulf is presided over by the city of Rijeka, a hard-edged industrial centre and the Adriatic’s most important transport hub.

Close by are groups of resorts that were chic high society hangouts in the late nineteenth century and retain a smattering of belle époque charm: quaint, diminutive Lovran, and the larger, more developed Opatija and Crikvenica