Motovun: A Mountaintop Village

Our Croatian guidebook said not to miss Motovun, a popular mountaintop village in Istria. We didn’t need any further encouragement and watched in excitement as the town, indeed spectacularly located, drew closer.

Like all medieval towns, cars aren’t allowed in the historic centre, so we parked the campervan somewhere halfway up the hill and set to walking. Apparently Motovun is great for wine tasting, but if, like us, you’re not an oenophile, I would still recommend a quick visit just for the sweeping views across the countryside. Imagine orange-tiled roofs and verdant forests that stretch as far as the eye can see.

The town village is picturesque as well and I think if you were to take an hour or two to sit down at one of the outdoor restaurants, sipping a glass of your preferred vintage and gazing out at the landscape, it could be an afternoon well-spent. As it were, we ambled through a few streets, admired the local church from outside and wondered if there was anything to do here for parents with a 3-year old in tow.

Unfortunately it was quite windy on top of the hill, and since there didn’t seem to be too much going on, we headed back to the campervan fairly quickly, stopping only to buy a beautiful handmade fridge magnet from the shop of a local artist to remind us of this quaint mountaintop village.

Have you had a more memorable experience in Motovun? What did we miss out on?