Rovinj Old Town and Cape Kamenjak, Istria
Rovinj is the most painterly town on the Istrian peninsula — a tight cluster of pastel-coloured houses rising from a former island (connected to the mainland in the 18th century) topped by the baroque Church of St Euphemia, whose copper spire is visible for miles out to sea. Pair it with a day at Cape Kamenjak, a wild limestone headland 45 km south near Premantura, and you have the perfect Istrian
Rovinj's Old Town
The old town's steep cobbled lanes — Grisia Street is the most famous, lined with local artists' galleries every August for an open-air exhibition — lead upward to St Euphemia's Church, which holds the sarcophagus of the 3rd-century martyr Euphemia. The views from the church terrace over the Adriatic and the 13 small islands of the Rovinj archipelago are simply stunning, particularly at sunset when the water turns a deep rose-gold.
The harbour below is still a working fishing port. Early mornings see the wooden fishing boats (gajete) returning with their catch, and the best restaurants — try La Puntulina carved into the cliffs on the south side of the old town — buy directly from the boats. Order whatever fish arrived that morning, grilled simply with olive oil, garlic and local Malvazija white wine from the surrounding Istrian hills.
Cape Kamenjak: Istria's Wild South
Cape Kamenjak is a protected nature park covering 384 hectares of untouched limestone scrubland, wildflower meadows and 30-plus hidden coves with some of the clearest water in the Adriatic. There are no hotels, no beach bars with sunbed rental — just gravel tracks, wild rosemary, and the occasional nudist cove that has been a local secret for decades.
The Safari Bar, a legendary open-air beach bar built into the rocks on the cape's western side, is the one concession to tourism and is all the better for being the only one. Rent a bicycle or scooter in Premantura village (€10–15/day) to explore the cape's tracks, or bring a kayak to reach the sea caves and arches on the eastern coastline that are completely inaccessible by land.
Rovinj Old Town and Cape Kamenjak, Istria on video
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