Formula 1 fort

Went to pay my respects to the birthplace of the famous Mario (and Aldo,) Andretti; being Motovun / Montona or Montona d'Istria), a village plonked on a hill 227m ASL in central Istria.
Now preserved as a tourist theme park, I hadn't realised that I needed to climb 1052 steps to get into it. (No I didn't count them, I'm a trained statistician so I guessed the book was right.)
Celts and Illyrians built their fortresses on the location and the name is derived from the Celtic word for 'a town in the hills'. Since the word is 'thet' I am not sure how it morphs into Motovun but thats what I'm told.
The place is a well-preserved example of Venetian colonial architecture and has a nice view of the Mirna river and its numerous mosquitos below. Couldn't find anything different to draw your attention to, so I left after a quick perambulation.

That night I spent in a peaceful valley in Slovenia, beside the fortified Holy Trinity Church in Hrastovlje. In the 16th C the residents built the wall around their small church to shelter from those beastly Ottomans.
The church stands behind a wall that the local population built to protect itself from Turkish attacks in the 16th century. Slovenians called them 'tabor' and made lots of them.
Nobody is quite sure of its origin and dates but it does have some interesting frescoes (better photos online.)Leggi altro