Poreč

Euphrasian Basilica mosaics, the Decumanus and Sveti Nikola island

For sightseeing, Poreč is a one-day town. Be at the Euphrasian Basilica when it opens to see the gold apse mosaics, then walk the Roman Decumanus to Marafor Square and the temple ruins at the headland tip. Take the boat to Sveti Nikola island for a swim, or drive inland to Motovun for the afternoon.

Be at the Euphrasian Basilica when the doors open. Give the gold apse mosaics time before the groups arrive, then walk through the atrium, the baptistery and the bishop's palace behind. Follow the Decumanus west, still running along its Roman line, to Marafor Square and the scattered stones of the temples at the tip of the headland. Loop back along the harbour front for lunch.

In the afternoon, take one of the small boats across to Sveti Nikola and swim off the island, where the water is calmer than on the town shore. Come back for an evening walk around the point as the light drops over the sea, and eat in the old town, away from your resort.

On day two, drive inland. Motovun sits on its hilltop above the Mirna valley, with truffle shops in its lanes and Malvazija in the cellars, and other hill villages make an easy loop from there. If the coast appeals more, head south past Vrsar to the Lim Bay, a long narrow inlet between wooded slopes, and finish the day in Rovinj.

Truffle fuži, maneštra and Malvazija in Istrian Poreč

Istrian food in Poreč sits closer to Italy than to Dalmatia. Order fuži or pljukanci, hand-rolled pasta with truffles from the inland forests, maneštra bean soup and Istrian pršut cured in the dry wind. Fish comes grilled whole with local olive oil, and the white wine is Malvazija.

Istrian pršut is cured in the dry wind and sliced thin as a starter, while fish comes grilled whole and dressed with local olive oil. The white to order is Malvazija; the red is Teran.

On the Decumanus, Ulixes serves whole fresh fish with baked vegetables, either in a candlelit stone room or on a sunny terrace, at prices above the Croatian norm. Tri Bačve, on Ulica Mattea Benussia, is a neighbourhood restaurant for traditional dishes done well, and a better sense of everyday Istrian food.

Resort hotels push half board, but an evening in the old town is worth the bus or taxi ride in. Out of season the choice shrinks sharply as many kitchens shut for the winter.

Motovun's walls, the Lim Bay and Vrsar by car

Drive inland from Poreč for Istria's hill towns. Motovun, above the Mirna valley and its truffle oak woods, has walls to walk around, and the road passes other walled towns. South along the coast lie the Lim Bay, a long sea inlet, and the fishing town of Vrsar.

The coast is lined with resorts, but some of the best of Istria lies behind it. Motovun, high above the Mirna valley, has walls you can walk around and a view over the oak woods where truffles are hunted. The drive passes other walled hill towns, so plan a loose loop with a long lunch.

South along the coast, Vrsar is a small fishing town over its own harbour, and just beyond it the Lim Bay cuts deep inland; boat trips run along the inlet in season. Rovinj, with its bell tower and steep old town, is close enough for an afternoon and evening. Pula, under an hour away by car, adds a Roman amphitheatre to the Roman street plan you already know. To the north, Novigrad sits near the mouth of the Mirna.

In summer the catamaran can even turn Venice into a day trip, out early in the morning and back by evening on the days the timetable allows.