Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You may notice that the Istrian hill towns are, in places, pretty rough and rugged. Many
areabandoned,onlyrecentlyhavingbeenrediscoveredbyartists.RememberthatafterIstria
shiftedfromItalytoYugoslaviafollowingWorldWarII,the“Italianexodus”sawmanyloc-
al peasants leave their homes behind and move into Italy proper—one reason many of these
townsarestillinsuchdisrepair.Stumblingovercobblesbetweendesolatebuildingsinavil-
lage that once must have been humming with life, you may find yourself thinking about the
sadness that comes with cultural population shifts.
As you explore, you'll see frequent signs for wineries, olive-oil producers, and truffle
shops. There's an itinerary for every interest, and the Istrian tourist board publishes a stack
of well-produced brochures on every topic you can imagine (available at local TIs). One
