Motovun – The Baredine Caves – Pula
Motovun is an ancient town perched on a hilltop, whose beginnings hark back to a prehistoric hillfort. The majority of the medieval walls and ancient structures were built under Venetian rule, which lasted 519 years from 1278 to 1797. The Venetian presence is reflected in the town’s fortifications, double defensive walls, and Gothic, Romanesque, and Renaissance elements. To this day, Italian is a widely spoken language in Croatia.
We zig-zagged our way up to the peak of the hill, where we parked our car and called our hotel. Within minutes, a driver arrived in a tiny car, suitable for squeezing through the ancient archways and navigating the narrow stone roads.
Villa Borgo Hotel overlooks a valley and the Mirna River, which snakes past the fertile, soil-rich Motovun Forest, where black and white truffles thrive. Truffles are a gourmet delicacy, and Motovun restaurants are known for their delectable dishes prepared with truffles that
are hunted down by dogs trained to sniff them out and reveal their location.
Our hotel suite was more like a little apartment. It consisted of a spacious bathroom with a shower and a jacuzzi bathtub, a fully equipped open-plan kitchen and dining area, and a bedroom with original stone walls and a vast picture window overlooking a valley of fruit orchards, vines, and vegetable patches.
The sunsets and early-morning dawns viewed from our bedroom were like an artist’s painting.
We woke up the next morning at 6:15 a.m., as the sun was peeking over the horizon and the valley was blanketed in low-lying clouds. Nature’s duvet!
We set out for a walk along the top of the ancient, fortified walls that wrap around Motovun. It was stupendous! The gentle sunshine lit up the valley, turning the leaves to golden copper hues that announced the arrival of autumn. We didn’t see another living soul, just the birds and absolute peace. I wanted to grab that moment and never let go.
The hotel breakfast consisted of a buffet table of salads, fruit, yogurt, muffins, croissants, cheeses, and egg dishes made to order. We ate outdoors on the upper terrace, taking in a panoramic view.
A day and a half in Motovun is sufficient. We hiked down to Thomas Winery Vineyard Hotel and caught a shuttle back; explored the little village; relaxed under the trees in the plaza, sipping coffee and indulging in pastries, while reading and soaking up the beauty of our surroundings.
At night, we chose restaurants with sweeping views and dined on dishes featuring truffles, a rare and delicious treat.
The Baredine Caves
The Baredine Caves are a half-hour drive from Motovun. They consist of five chambers that go deep underground via 173 tiny, slippery steps.
It is a fairy tale world of stalagmites and stalactites that grow by a tiny fraction each year and take thousands of years to grow into the magnificent sculptures, hanging fabrics, fans, spiked stones, and transparent yellow and white stones when lit up with a flashlight. It never ceases to amaze me that such beauty lies underground.
Pula
It’s a thirty-seven-mile, sixty-kilometer drive from the Baredine Caves to Pula. Pula is a large, bustling town that is the proud owner of a beautifully restored amphitheater, where seaside views are framed by its ancient arches.
Tip: No need to pay 12 euros to enter this impressive amphitheater. One can walk the circumference and get a better view of the interior from the slightly raised periphery than from the inside.
We enjoyed mid-morning crunchy croissants and cappuccinos while sitting several feet from the walls, admiring the scope and beauty of this ancient treasure built by the emperor for his mistress. (Wonder what the wife got?)
Pula was also an important port during World War II and for centuries prioricious treat.