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.