What to do on a three-day visit to Motovun

Motovun is a boutique tourist destination where you can explore a large number of sites and enjoy numerous amenities in a relatively short period. Once you have seen Istria’s most famous medieval town, whose vista is a distinctive symbol of the peninsula, you will surely keep coming back.

Motovun’s impressive architectural heritage has placed it on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, and its old town has been given the status of a protected historical site. Its medieval ambiance, charming stone alleys and squares, colourful façades and doors of various shapes will remind visitors of the times long gone and remain a vivid memory.

2. Take a tour of Motovun’s wineries

The Motovun area takes pride in numerous great wineries. The European Cultural Tourism Network named the town the second-best European destination for sustainable cultural tourism in the Wine Tourism category in 2019. This is good enough a reason to stop by some of the wineries and find out why the local wines regularly win valuable awards in local and international competitions. And be sure to visit the Wine & Heritage Hotel Roxanich, where you can take a guided tour of its impressive wine cellar stretching across five underground levels.

If you’re looking for a superb gourmet experience, Motovun is just the right place: taste the traditional Istrian cuisine, and specialities with black and white truffles, perfectly paired with top-quality Motovun wines. This area is particularly proud of Her Majesty – the exceptionally prized white truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico) that grows in the Motovun Forest, the world’s largest habitat of this delicacy. Spoil your palate with mouth-watering dishes and beverages offered at local restaurants, konobas, farmhouse restaurants and wineries. The selection is just as impressive as the warm welcome you will receive. So relax on a beautiful terrace and enjoy the gorgeous view that will linger on in your memory.

Head out for your first truffle hunting adventure, and you’ll surely become a fan of this underground jewel. Sign up for a guided tour, and professional truffle hunters, accompanied by their well-trained dogs, will let you in on their secrets. Besides getting to learn all about truffles and truffle hunting, you will be offered various truffle delicacies. So enjoy the adventure, and take some of the delicious Motovun souvenirs with you!

Parenzana was once a railway that connected Trieste and Poreč. A 123-kilometre long route passed at the foot of Motovun, where there was a station. It featured 11 bridges, 6 viaducts and 9 tunnels, with the longest tunnel on the Croatian side being precisely the one beneath Motovun (222 m). It opened in 1902 and closed down in 1935, after which it was disassembled and the tracks were shipped to Abyssinia, where they were used in the firearms manufacture. Parenzana has been transformed into one of the most popular cycling and walking routes of the region.

The Centre is located within the Kaštel Hotel in Motovun. Its permanent display titled ‘Motovun: History in Motion’ offers visitors an insight into the impressive history of Motovun. You will learn all about the Motovun Forest, the narrow-gauge Parenzana railway, the popular Motovun Film Festival, the life of the legendary Mario Andretti, and about other important people and events from Motovun’s past.

Named after the famous publisher and music printer Andrea Antico da Montona, who was born more than five centuries ago precisely in Motovun, the medieval Antico printing house has been turned into an original tourist project. It features publisher Jure, dressed as a medieval apprentice, printing authentic souvenirs on a replica of the Gutenberg printing press, on hand-made paper made of fallen leaves from the famous Motovun Forest. So, hop in this time machine nestled in the palace on the town’s main square and travel several centuries back in time to witness the era that had marked the beginning of the world’s cultural revolution.