buzet north

Welcome to the trail Buzet West that takes us to explore the colorful scenery of northern Istria. Our start point is at the foot of the mountain range of Ćićarija, where a small town of Buzet is situated. Known as Pinquentium during the ancient Roman period, with its old core situated on a magnificent hilltop 153 m high, Buzet is today widely renowned as the City of Truffles thanks to the delicious tuber whose best „preserves“ in Istria have been situated in the forests nearby, spreading along the river Mirna valley. A medieval fortress controlled by an Aquilean patriarch and later, by various feudal lords, Buzet has attained its present appearance mainly during the Venetian rule in the period from 1421 to 1797. By no means do not miss out the parish church of St. Mary's Assumption at the main square, carved out of bedrock, the parish church of St. George featuring some very precious furnishings and a baroque fountain, one of the most beautiful existing city fountains in Istria, renovated back in 1789. Besides, visit a local county museum situated in Bigato mansion, exhibiting a rich archeological, ethnographic and historic collection including replicas of medieval murals and frescoes as well as casts of Glagolitic inscriptions.

Descending along the trail from Buzet, we head for the very heart of Glagolitism – the city of Roč. Situated at 334 m above sea-level, with its working writing-rooms and printing shops engaging competent translators and experts on three writing systems – Latin, Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts, during the medieval period Roč enjoyed the status of a true academic center and it is from here that a distinguished Žakan Juri announced the first book Misal printed in Glagolitic script. Today Roč is a lively cultural center widely known for hosting the players of the diatonic button accordion, the so called armonica triestina. Pay a visit to the churches of St. Bartholomew from the 15th century and St. Anthony the Abbot dating to the 12th century and containing important murals and a remarkable alphabetical list - one of the best known Glagolitic graffitos, don't forget visiting an exceptional Renaissance mansion refurbished recently and located near the local eating-house, featuring a replica of Gutenberg's typographic press on its ground floor.

And just a few kilometers away there is the smallest city in the world - Hum, known also for its Glagolitic heritage. Although you won't need more than ten minutes to walk around this small town, the visiting of its sacral interior, especially of the famous chapel of St. Jerome from the 12th century, might take a while since it embraces some valuable murals and Glagolitic graffitos, and after all, Hum is the final stop of the well-known 7 km long Alley of the Glagolitic monks. Afterwards, we pass the city of Lupoglav, then Lanišće – the largest village on the highlands of Ćićarija, just at the foot of a 1,106 metres high mount Orljak and peak Stražice - 964 m in altitude. Once famous for its charcoal burners, for the town of Brest its forest have been its only source of profit, whose wood served as firewood and for making charcoal which was sold in the neighboring littoral villages, today Brest is a community of only 56 house numbers.

Refreshed with clean air and primordial scenery, we turn back towards Buzet, the starting point of our spectacular adventure.