Tourism in Istria, Croatia
The verdant hills that roll through Istria are scattered with towns; Venetian Motovun, Groznjan with its artists' community, Oprtalj with its 17th-century loggia and tiny medieval streets winding up to the peak. The villages may play host to tourist coaches by day, but nothing on the scale of Provence or Tuscany; by late afternoon they have settled back into a peaceful languor, with only the odd quiet bar, serving menestra (an Istrian take on minestrone soup) and cevapcici (meatballs) to locals and a few stray tourists.
Istria is an oasis - rural and unspoilt, and this is rare in the Med now, so people want to buy. These are very exciting times for us, people are making good money, and life is coming back to villages that were dying away." Dino's company rents villas, but also helps foreign investors buy, design and restore their properties.
Last year I had ten villas with pools, this year 30, next year we think it will be 60. But this is soft tourism, the numbers are still small. Mass tourism will stay on the coast. Soft tourism" is a suitably gentle term for the development taking place in Istria; a wine route has sprung up, truffle-hunting trips are on offer, and most hilltop towns hold festivals in the summer, but all are low-key initiatives; the main attraction is the beauty and simplicity of the region.
Istria is chosen because it is that bit cheaper than Spain or Italy, but the villasare more luxurious. The properties in Istria are a good metaphor for the region; spacious, beautiful, individual, of a far higher standard than you might expect. Istria as a whole is a surprise; Everywhere felt upbeat, a well-to-do country absorbing tourism into everyday life.
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