Tartufi Up the Wazoo

Yesterday morning we had another leisurely time getting up and ready before taking the 1-hour drive to an Istrian hill town called Motovun.  We had heard that if you are going to go to one of the hill towns, Motovun is the one you should visit.  Fun fact - it is the birth place of former Formula 1 champ Mario Andretti.  I know what you're thinking.  Isn't Mario Andretti Italian?  Turns out until 1946 Motovun belonged to Italy and was known as Montona, but as we all know, Italy lost the war and had to hand over some land to Yugoslavia, including Montona/Motovun.  Andretti was born in 1940, so then it was technically Italian.

Anyway, we had a lovely scenic drive through very Tuscan looking landscape when we finally got to the base of the hill.  Visitors (us included) are instructed to park at the base of the hill and climb the wobbly winding cobblestoned streets to the top.

Along the way up, the streets are lined with shops and vendors selling what Motovun does best - wine, olive oil and truffles (both of the black and white varieties).  It was a beautiful warm day and a gentle cool breeze blew through the town.  We learned about the town history and took a look at its crest.

The town itself is heavily fortified, with not one, not two, but three defensive walls.  We took the Rick Steves walking tour which took about 5 minutes (seriously) and looked through the one church, bell tower, and highest defensive wall.

The tiny town also hosts a popular film festival where you can schmooze and rub shoulders with B, C and D-list celebrities.  We noticed a banner for the annual truffle festival, which sadly we will be missing.  Once we had exhausted the town's sites we decided to eat lunch at a highly recommended restaurant, Konobo (Inn) Mondo.  The restaurant is run by a Croatian-Italian fusion family and serves Croatian-Italian fusion food.  We all ordered pasta, most of which included truffles.  Ron's pasta had a few white truffles liberally shaved over top.  Our waiter was very friendly, so we asked about truffles.  Here are some things we learned:

1.  White truflles are rarer and therefore far more valuable than black truffles.  The white truffles also have a more pungent aroma and have a much shorter hunting season (mid September - December as opposed to March - November).

2.  The largest white truffle discovered in the area weighed 3 pounds and helped put Motovun on the truffle map.

3.  In Istria, as opposed to France and Italy (where they use pigs), they use specially trained dogs to hunt out the truffles.  Truffles grow completely underground, at the bases of oak trees.  The dogs will pick up the smell and start digging, indicating to the human where the truffles are.  The hunting usually happens in the wee small hours of the morning, when the sense are heightened.

We paid the tab and headed back down the streets, when Kelly noticed a cute print that had a simple drawing of Motovun's skyline and said, "Ceci n'est pas Motovun".  Kelly remarked that it was an homage to Belgian painter Rene Magritte and decided to go in and look around the shop.  They found some cute postcards and while paying, the clerk said that she was only the second person of the season to make the connection to Magritte.  Feeling pretty proud of herself, we continued down to the car and left Motovun, also leaving there our taste for truffles.

We got back to Rovinj and decided that since it was our last night in Croatia and on the Adriatic, we should take a sunset sail.  The harbour in Rovinj is full of agencies eager to take your dollars for a sail, so we picked one out, got our tickets and decided to have a drink before departure.  The clerk who sold us our excursion told us it was the last sail on the last day of the season - what luck!  When it was time to go, we found the San Marino, climbed aboard the little boat and were on our way.

Warning: Lots of pictures of the sunset ahead.

The water was calm and the temperature perfect.  Although it wasn't a sailboat we were on, Judy still felt the exhilaration of being on the ocean, wind in your face and the sound of the sea spray in your ear.

We got all cozy at the bow of the boat when one of the sailors came by with a caddy.  "Water, juice or wine?" he offered.  Kelly and Ron had a white wine and Judy had a juice, all served in plastic cups.  

We went further and further out, past some islands, when pretty soon it was only us and the odd fisherman.  Or so we thought...

Turns out this Adriatic bay is home to many many dolphins!  Once we would spot some, the skipper would steer towards them slowly and then cut the motor, as not to frighten them.  We all ooo-ed and ahhh-ed like school children every time one would jump.

The sunset turned the sky red and we sat, trying to decide what was more magnificent - the sky or the sea.  The sailor who had originally served us started indulging in wine.  He said that he doesn't like to drink alone, so every time he poured himself a cup, he would top up Ron's.

After a good hour and a bit on the water, it was time to head back to the harbour.  The boat moored and we disembarked, all agreeing that this was the perfect way to end our time on the coast. 

We made a pit stop at an ice cream place called "Chocolat", which not only had a great selection of ice creams, but a fantastic selection of dark chocolate ice creams.  It was the best ice cream we've had on the trip, and we've eaten a lot of ice cream!  We got our cab and headed back to the apartment for the night, our last sleep on the coast.

The Italian Job

Yesterday we slept in (0745hrs, oooooo) got ready and headed out for the town of Pula in the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula.  Pula is sort of a non-descript Croatian port town with one remarkable feature:

A Roman colosseum.  This colosseum was started by Caesar Augustus in the 1st century BC, worked on by Caesar Claudius and finished up by Caesar Vespasian in the 1st century AD, around the same time as the colosseum in Rome was completed.  

The colosseum is right in the heart of Pula, is the 6th largest in the world and one of the most complete examples of a Roman forum and architecture of its kind.  It was used until the 5th century AD, when gladiator-ing was outlawed.

We paid our admission and entered, free to wander about the structure as we pleased.  Back in the day the colosseum would host gladiator matches (complete with wild animals).  Being a gladiator back in the day was apparently a relatively cushy gig - you only had to fight a few times a year, enjoy decent pay and the perks of being a celebrity.

In this day and age they host concerts here, including Elton John and Placido Domingo.  Last year at this time, Leonard Cohen played. The closest thing we came to this year was a techno music festival. We looked around and tried to decide what the acoustics would be like.  Apparently you can't turn things up to 11 or it will start to affect the infrastructure of the building.

There are 4 rectangular towers around the colosseum, unique to this structure.  In ye olde Roman days they housed huge water resevoirs that were used to spray refreshing scents over the crowds and mask the smell of blood.

The colosseum seats around 25,000 (more than Rogers Arena, less than BC Place).  The sand in the amphitheatre was called 'harena', which gave the structure its nickname today, arena (learning!).

After exhausting the colosseum we headed into the basement which houses an exhibit on amphorae.  An amphora is a jug used by the Greeks and later Romans to carry oils, wine and fish, and many were lost at sea due to the amount of shipwrecks.  The amphora usually has 2 handles and a pointed end, used to stick in the sand or house in a proper stand.

The shape and size of the amphora usually dictates when and where it was built, so archaeologists find it helpful when trying to date shipwrecks.

After the exhibit we headed into the old town for lunch.  There is still a good amount of Roman architecture around town, so we took in as much as we could.

We had a look at the Temple of Augustus, which we all agreed was really cool looking.  We then learned that the Temple took a direct hit from an Allied bomb in WWII, then the Allies fixed it as a sort of "whoops, our bad".

A famous visitor to Pula was Irish writer James Joyce.  

We wandered back to the car and came across a miniature map of the city.  Because Judy loves all things miniature, we took a look.

We hopped in the car and headed back to our apartment in Rovinj, excited to explore what that city has to offer.  We strolled into the pedestriran-only (allegedly) old town.  We all found it charming and

significantly quieter than Dubrovnik and Split.

We headed to the opposite end of the peninsula and worked our way along, always in the shadow of the city's patron saint Euphemia.

We found a litte alley that looked like it led to the sea, but led  to a cocktail bar patio, so we decided to indulge.  Ron had a beer, Judy had a pina colada and Kelly had the booziest daiquiri ever made.  We relaxed and enjoyed the view.

The rocky shore along this part of the peninsula is very popular for swimmers and sunbathers.

After finishing our drinks Ron took a detour up to the cathedral to get some quick snaps.

We stumbled down the hill and into the harbour, when it was time for dinner.  We went to the same restaurant we ate at the night before, as the food was delicious, wine plentiful and staff friendly.  We ordered a bottle of San Tommosio white, which is native to Rovinj and enjoyed another delicious meal while watching the sun set.

After getting Ron his obligary ice cream, we grabbed a cab and turned in, gearing up for our last full day in Croatia and on the coast.