oprtalj and the authentic flavours of rural istria

Start at the parking place near the football field along the narrow road; when you come to the road Grožnjan-Buje turn left and head to the crossroads with the main road, turn right (attention, traffic!); carry on to the exit for Koper; turn right and further on turn right again onto the road for Kremenje.

Pass through Kremenje, Marušići, Donja Gomila and when you come to the village of Šterna, turn left uphill towards Čepić. In Čepić on 14.0 km at the fork road take the road on the right; at 14.7 km on the next fork road continue on the left along the unpaved road to the paved road at 15.9 km. Turn right and after the village of Hrastići turn right again (direction Oprtalj). In Sv. Lucija at the “stop” signpost turn left for Oprtalj and on 19.8 km you will arrive at Oprtalj. From Oprtalj take the road for Sv. Lucija and ride straight ahead to Šterna; in that village turn left to the direction of Grožnjan. On 26.6 km turn left in the direction of Završje, and in the village of Mlin on 28.7 km turn right in the direction of Grožnjan. On 33.8 km you will come to the road Grožnjan – Buje; turn right and go back to the starting point through Triban.

What to visit Today’s route passes through romantic villages of upper Buje region and takes you to Oprtalj, a picturesque town that used to be an important medieval centre of this part of Istria. Nowadays Oprtalj is a small town situated on a hill with a magnificent view of the surrounding valleys including the valley of the river Mirna which is an important habitat of the appreciated white truffle. The route takes you back to Buje along secondary roads that wind between woods and hills. If you are fond of original flavours and traditional cuisine, pay a visit to the agro-tourism household Tončić in the village of Čabrnica, near Zrenj (prior appointment obligatory), while in the village of Kremenje you can visit the restaurants Marino and Pjero known for truffle-based specialties, as well as the wine cellar Kabola with its top quality white and rose wines. In Oprtalj you can taste original Istrian products in the tasting parlour of the store “Loggia”.