Beautiful landscapes: Cape Kamenjak, Istria

Cape Kamenjak is the southernmost point of the Istrian Peninsula, but also the protected landscape with numerous bays, crystal clear sea, steep rocks, lovely pebble beaches, rare plant and butterfly species, scented pine woods and a web of walking and cycling trails. 

It is busy and vibrant in the summer months, desolated and wild in the winter months, but always captures you with its simple natural beauty!

Only a 15 minutes drive from the city of Pula, it is beloved destination among nature lovers, cyclists, joggers, wind and kite surfers (actually, Cape Kamenjak is a No.1 surfing destination in Croatia thanks to the strong winds and protected shore), photographers, and tourists (in the summer months, when everyone can find a perfect beach to spend a day on- pebbles, smooth rocks, sand, even a cave, surrounded by pine trees and their refreshing shade).

Its lovely shores are also frequently visited by the rare mammal of our sea- Mediterranean Monk Seal.

Regardless of the fact that I call this place my second home, it is one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen.

Summer in Central Istria

During our holiday vacation in Pula in August, we decided to skip the beach for a day and explore how summer in central Istria looks like. Starting from Pula, our first stop was Sv. Petar u Šumi ( literally- St Peter in the Woods :) ).

Lovely square in front of the church, Sv Petar u Sumi

The 18th century church of St Peter and Paul along with the 15th century Pauline monastery attracted us to visit this place. It was around noon and the village was empty, except for the waiter in the local bar and a few cats resting in the shades. We were happy to discover that both the church and the monastery cloister were opened. Initially a Romanesque complex, the church was rebuilt in mid-18th century with a narrow, tall facade pierced with niches that hold the saints, characteristic for Pauline architecture of that time. 

The Romanesque cloister of the monastery is a hidden gem with its elegant arcades surrounding a small interior open space with well. We enjoyed quietness, whiteness and cleanness of that place, sitting in a tree shade on the square in front of the church.

The romanesque cloister in Sv Petar u Sumi

On our way to Pazin- the administrative seat of Istria County we stopped at Tinjan, the so-called „municipality of Istrian prosciutto“. Tinjan is such a charming and peaceful place- narrow streets with well restored houses and all sorts of plants in colourful pots in front of them, late-baroque church of St Simon and Judas Tadeus, a beautiful view spot of the green hills situated in the shade of a giant tree with an ancient municipality stone table...

Plants in colourful pots in Tinjan

The streets of Tinjan

Amazing view from Tinjan

Once in Pazin, we wanted to visit the Abyss of Pazin, which inspired the famous Jules Verne to write his novel „Mathias Sandorf“. An abyss is not what one would expect to see when visiting a center of the city! The stream which runs in the bottom of it is dry in the summer season, but the vegetation is green and lavish, and the path which leads you down and then up the steep hill makes a good recreation. There is a zip-line hanging over the abyss if you're into that kind of adrenalin fun!

A view of Pazin with its Abyss :)

Lavish greenery in the Abyss of Pazin

After Pazin, we headed to the village of Kotli, beloved Istrian weekend destination, situated on the slopes of the river Mirna. The stream bed was again dry, which enabled us to walk through a part of it, and to make photos of the little pools of remaining water which held tadpoles and little water snakes. The restaurant on the river bank serves traditional, local dishes in abundant portions, so we enjoyed sausages, ombolo, sour cabbage and tasty rustic potatoes. It was so delicious, that we asked the waiter to pack us a doggy bag for later.  :)

Dry riverbed at the village of Kotli

All the narrow side roads which connect Istrian villages are so exciting to drive on, winding, empty, passing through beautiful nature (we even saw a deer!) and picturesque villages. 

Heading back to Pula we passed by Draguć, whose name reminded me that there should be a church with Romanesque wall paintings (we learned about it in college). So we turned around to visit it, and it was a home run! The small hill town of Draguć is really worth seeing, with its stone paved streets filled with lazy cats, beautiful houses with flowers, spectacular view of the Istrian hills from the center of the town, and then at the end, a lawn with a tiny humble chapel, bathed in a mild sunset light, overlooking hilly Istrian countryside.

The chapel of St Rok, Draguc

Unfortunately, the chapel was closed, but we peaked inside trough a small window, discovering it's truly magical interior- austere architecture filled from bottom to top with “medieval” frescos painted in 16th century. Sounds illogical, but local art in the provinces was always legging behind the main European streams!  It was a stunning scene, kept just for us, since we were there alone, enjoying that exquisite peace of art without a crowd of visitors or a limited visiting time. That reminded me of the Scrovegni chapel in Padua, painted by the great renaissance painter Giotto,where for the frescoes to be preserved, there is a max of 30 persons which can stay inside for 15 minutes to observe one of the world’s greatest pieces of art! 

The frescoes inside of the St Rok Chapel

It was a great end to a beautiful field trip, and there is so much more to Istrian countryside. So, when you're on Istrian coastline on holidays, it is worthwhile to take a day off the beach and discover that multitude of little hill towns, villages, local cuisine, wines and beautiful nature!

Why is the island of Cres a perfect high-season holiday destination?

July and August are considered as a high tourist season in Croatia. It is that part of the year when the days are long and sunny, the temperatures high, the sea ideal for bathing- but it is also the time of summer crowds, and if you're in a search of a relaxing summer getaway, there is one tip regarding Croatia- go to the islands!

Stunning views on the island of Cres

Croatian coast has over a 1000 islands, and although not all of them are inhabited, there is still a long list to choose from.

This year we visited Cres, one of the closest islands to Istrian peninsula (only a 20 minutes ferry ride from Brestova port on the mainland to Porozine port on the island).
It is also, along with the island of Krk, the largest Croatian island (66 km long) with numerous wonderful beaches- so if you plan to visit more than one, I would highly recommend you to go with a car!

The island is known for its desolated pebble beaches with crystal clear water, many of them reachable only by foot, which will make you share it with only a few more people (a thing unimaginable on the mainland in the summer months)!

Our perfect camping site near Osor

Thanks to our lovely camping spot near Osor shadowed by dense pine tree crowns with a smell of the sea and salt in the air, we spent a lot of our time laying in our hammocks and reading books. Despite that, we got to see and taste some of the island’s highlights:

• The beach of St Ivan below the dreamy stone village of Lubenice, which is probably the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. An hour walk down hill (and approx. the same uphill) is by all means worth it.  (Do not be tempted to take this walk in flip-flops!). At the end of the road there is a long, clean, white pebbled beach with perfectly transparent sea which calls for a swim, a dip, a dive, or just a simple admiration.

Wonderful St Ivan beach below Lubenice

Dreamy village of Lubenice

On our way to the beach

• The beach in Martinscica is a smaller-scale version of St Ivan, with a 20 minute walk downhill and a pallet of blue colors in this little lagoon.

Hiding from the sun on Martinscica beach

• The beach in Belej is known for its (very refreshing!) cold springs, and two semi-coves which you can reach by water and then relax laying in the shallows while in the shade of steeps rocks! 

The beach with cold springs in Belej

• The island of Cres is known as the last Croatian habitat of the endangered species- a griffon vulture. You will most probably be lucky enough to spot them and admire their elegant flight in the heights. (We spotted them while driving on one of the narrow island’s roads, and simply had to stop to enjoy the view!)
• The city of Cres is a romantic port with lively seafront known for scampi dishes- fished out of the fresh waters between the island and the Istrian peninsula, large, sweet and highly recommendable! Followed by Tripadvisor reviews, we went to the family owned restaurant Melin for the best scampi around- and enjoyed every bit! They prepare it in a tasteful, traditional way, have a nice terrace, and a laid-back, cozy atmosphere- what more can one ask for?

The port of Cres at sunset

• The city of Osor- a lovely tiny town on the border with the island of Losinj. It is simple, genuine, and perfect for a mild summer evening walk. The cathedral of Osor has a peculiar trefoil façade, and is one of the most beautiful examples of renaissance architecture in Croatia. If you are a classical music enthusiast, there is a well-known festival held here in July and August. 
•  Lamb is an island’s specialty, and if you like a good piece of meat prepared in a wood fired oven, go for it in the restaurant called Bukaleta in the island’s countryside. They also serve delicious traditional sweets with jam and pine nuts, which we enjoyed even more than the main dish! 

Delicious sweets in Bukaleta

A friend of mine told me that the village of Beli is something worth seeing (we didn’t have the time from all the resting in the camp and on the beach), so I felt that it had to be mentioned.
Just to be clear-there is more of Cres, it's just that we weren't able to explore it all during our short stay, so it's up to you to make this list longer :)

Better photos of Cres, over here. 

On my way to the beach in Belej