Motovun, Istria

When the heat of the day had dissipated, we headed out in the car to explore the interior of Istria, climbing the steep hill to the gated medieval village of Motovun, 270m above sea level.

The views over the surrounding countryside are spectacular, witnessed from the remains of the defensive wall that surrounds the village.

Many of the inhabitants still have Italian as their mother tongue. it is the place where racing driver Mario Andretti and his twin brother Aldo were born in 1940. Motovun has hosted the international Motovun Film Festival for independent and avant-garde films from the US and Europe since 1999.

The River Mrna flows below the hill village, and the nearby forest is rich with truffles. On the surrounding slopes grow the grapes for the Teran and Malvazija wines.