Tasting Our Way Through Green Istria, the Tuscany of Croatia

As my husband, Cory, navigated the twists and bends that brought our rented Citroen from 90 kilometers per hour (56 mph) to 50 in a matter of meters, my eyes were glued to the hills beyond.

We were honeymooners en route from Zagreb to Motovun in Northern Croatia and, two hours in, I became giddy when the first hilltop town came into view above the pastoral landscape. A stone church spired o’er the orange-tiled roofs of stone houses. Colorful laundry flapped on clotheslines, under the watchful eye of paint-peeled shutters.

Further on, hilltops and lowlands were lined with orchards of light-green olive trees and majestic tracks of vine for Chardonnay and Malvasjia, a local specialty.

Further still were forests brimming with Istrian gold, a buried treasure prized by Michelin chefs the world over.

To me, Croatia’s Istria region felt very much like a medieval fantasyland. It had everything this newbie gourmand desired: truffles (Istrian gold), olive oil, wine and bucolic vistas straight out of a fairytale.

Read the entire story online HERE at The YOLO Guide to Travel