Rovinj

Istria is a different country

Culturally it leans Italian — bilingual signage, olive oil and pasta rather than grilled fish and peka, and a wine culture built on Malvazija and Teran. It is also greener and cooler than Dalmatia, which matters in August.

Food worth planning around

Istrian olive oils win international awards regularly and most producers will let you taste. Truffle season peaks in autumn for the white, but the black is available much of the year.

What to see

• The old town

  A tight peninsula of tall houses rising to the church of St Euphemia. Streets are polished stone and steeply raked; the light in the hour before sunset is the reason every photograph of Croatia's west coast looks like this.

• Zlatni Rt (Golden Cape)

  Protected forest park immediately south of town — holm oak, cypress and pine down to rocky swimming spots. Cycle or walk from the centre.

• The hill towns

  Motovun, Grožnjan and Oprtalj sit inland on ridges above the Mirna valley. This is the truffle country, and the drive between them is the point as much as the towns.

Getting around

Rovinj itself is walkable and its old town is closed to cars. But Istria's interior is the reason to come, and the hill towns are not practically reachable without driving. This is the one part of Croatia where a car matters more than a boat.