Another beautiful and cooler day, which is fine with us. And another easy day, which is fine with us too. Buje is inland, but only a few miles down to the coast. We start with about a seven mile Mostly downhill leg to Novigrad, a less well known coastal towns - not one of the famous ones that draw the masses like Porec, Pula, Piran and especially Rovinj, the so-called Pearl of the Adriatic.
This part of Istria close to the coast reminds us a bit of Tuscany. It’s not just the hills and vineyards either. The coastal strip is strongly Italian-influenced. We hear as much Italian as Croatian here, and the town names are bilingual on the road signs.
Looking back on Buje. From this vantage point, it’s easy to see its historical importance as a fortified town guarding the road between Trieste and Pula.
From Novigrad we follow the sea northward for fifteen miles. They’re slow, relaxed miles as we hug the coastline as closely as possible, often riding on quiet cycle paths with other bikers. Different miles than we’ve had on this tour so far, getting us in mind for the weeks ahead on the islands.
Novigrad is small, but quite appealing. You don’t have to mix with the masses in Rovinj to find your perfect seaside retreat.
By the time we’re ready to leave the coast we’re starting to think lunch. We stop in at a shop just south of Umag, grab some sandwiches from their deli, and take them to the bar next door to eat them at a shaded table.
Then, back up to Buje, rolling our way uphill on mostly quiet backroads. We’re back by midafternoon, and then I head across the street to Atrij for a glass of wine and access to their fast WiFi (the service in our room is quite slow). Rachael joins me after a bit to upload her video, and then we walk back across the street to the restaurant beneath the window of our apartment for a fine dinner. Everyone here from staff to clients (except us, of course) converse in Italian.
Istria, the New Tuscany. You should give it a try.
Lazy climbing back up from the coast. Starting to get on the warmish side though.
Waiting for our meal at Rondo, the best restaurant in town. Our window is directly above, and we’ll hear customers from our window well into the night.
Our dinner at Rondo: grilled chicken with grilled vegetables; grilled sea bass in a basil sauce; and a side of grilled polenta with cheese. Grilled everything!
