Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Oprtalj
Oprtalj(oh-per-TAL;PorotoleinItalian)hasaparticularlyscenicapproach,alongatwisting
driveway lined with pointy cypress trees. But once in the town itself, you'll find that there's
notmuchtosee.Oprtaljlinesupalongaplateauwithabusyroadrippingthroughitsmiddle.
LikeMotovun,ithasapinkloggiaacrossfromitsmaingate,containinganoldstone-carved
winged lion of St. Mark and other stony fragments from the town's history. If you poke up
throughthegateandwanderthetown,you'llfindafairlynondescript,largelydesertedburg.
Near the gate is the town's
konoba
, with seating under a tree out on the view terrace across
the street. The fancy yellow building at the Motovun end of town is the elementary school,
named for local hero Milan Šorgo, a Partisan who was killed during the fighting to retake
his native Istria from the Nazis.
• The road through Oprtalj leads directly down into Livade, then across the valley highway
to Motovun.
Livade
TheflatlittlecrossroadsvillageofLivade,sittinginthevalleyfacingthebackofMotovun's
hill, is home to the first and last name in Istrian truffles. In 1999, Giancarlo Zigante un-
