Istria, Croatia

Croatia is such a big draw for me on account of its food and the glorious sunshine of course. As we have progressed up the coast from Dubrovnik over the years, one think that stood out was its great food and specifically seafood. On the Dalmatian coast where the country is at its narrowest bordering the sea, seafood dominates. Our last two visits introduced us to Istria, where seafood still dominates in the coastal towns but where menus are also influenced by inland istria (truffles, ox meat, cheeses, olives and of course wine).

Our first overnight was in Fazana - a fishing town proud of its pilchards/sardines. Fittingly, my first lunch this trip was grilled sardines with the Croatian staple of Blitva (Croatian chard with potatoes).

The pilchards are not the draw for tourists, nor is the fact that Fazana was a centre for amphorae production when its wine and olives were stored for transport to anywhere from the Danube to the Po in Italy.

No, the main draw for droves of tourists (Croatian and others) is the Brijuni Islands, now a national park, but made famous as the playground of the Yugoslav leader, Tito. Tito spent around six months each year entertaining the many world leaders, film stars and all, some of whom visited bringing gifts of exotic animals which now roam the zoo on the island.

We didn't venture out this time as we were only using Fazana as a stop over after a late flight in last night to Pula (18 mins away). Fazana is a nice little town and worth the stopover for itself.Read more