Istria

Istria

...the biggest pennisula in the Adriatic sea

This is Istra - Istria. Istra is located in Croatia (Hrvatska). Croatia is the navel of Europe. A coffer full of secrets, wisdom and the essence of the Old Continent. What about the key? You have it inside, you can comprehend Istra - Istria with your soul, your essence is hiding here. Immerse into this miniature planet and you will discover beauty and the troth about yourself.

Istra - Istria is the largest Adriatic peninsula, heart-shaped red soil, ancient Europe's closest Mediterranean, almost reaching to her heart. Your nearest true South, right here, below the Alps, in Croatia (Hrvatska). Here, where civilizations and people meet, where cultures, customs and opinions are interwoven.

Searching for the Golden Fleece, mythical Argonauts followed the River Ister as far as the Adriatic Sea. Isn't that our tiny River Mirna, while the Ister gave its name to our peninsula? Or was it named after the native Histrians?
Stone ruins, the seven thousand year-old home of ancestors, are visible on the nearby hills. In the numerous towns you can gaze at 2,000 years of history, you can acratch it with your nails: Roman amphitheatre, triumphal arches, villas, Byzantine basilicas covered with gold mosaics, medieval towers and town walls, large and tiny churches, Romanesque buildings, loxurious Gothic and Baroque palaces, Austro - Hungarian fortifications...

As if all European history had been sublimated in this region: Histrians, Romans, Byzantium, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Franks, Venice, Napoleon, Austria-Hungary. Every century and every invader engraved, destroyed and rebuilt a centrain trait, certain feature, sanctuary, shrive, road, a certain seal of his age. There were armies and plagues, prosperity and inspiration.

Some came to Istra - Istria to rule, some to enjoy the pastoral atmosphere, emperors and popes came here, Casanova to make love, philosophers, saints and hermits to search for the secrets of the Other World in the mundane repose.
Roman poets and Renaissance troubadours praised Istra - Istria in their verses, Dante Alighieri described Istria in The Divine Comedy, Jules Verne led his hero Mathias Sandorf through the caves and underground streams of the Istrian undeworld, James Joyce wrote here... Martial, the most famous Roman epigrammatist, praised his native Córdoba: "...more fertile than oily Venafro and as perfect as Istrian oil in an amphora". Istra - Istria is the homeland of olives,figs, almonds and grapes, the homeland of innumerable little wonders.

Istra - Istria is a park luxuriously decorated with nature: fertile valleys, fields stretching as far as the sea, the mountain of Uèka, more than 1,000 meters high, brooks, waterfalls, rocks and sand, all together in this small region.

A road may take You to a tiny church covered with multicoloured frescoes and decorated with wooden statuesof saints made by local craftmen. Istrians worship Jesus from Nazareth, because one is closer to God and religion in this little church than in a magnificent cathedral. You will find another local feature in these churches. An unusual, unknown script, neither Latin nor Cyrillic, but the Glagolitic script. This ancient Croatian script, which existed only in this part of the world, was used throughout the centuries. Graffiti, players, church registers, as well as important documents were written in Glagolitic letters. Istra - Istria has its script!

The second road leads you to a plain inn or tavern where the wine is considered to be the gift of gods. A modest, but delicious dish will be offered on a tray or on crockery. Another miracle - a truffle! A white truffle, a divine gastronomic speciality, an aphrodisiac, tuber - mushroom which grows under the ground.

The third road will lead you to a village party, church or lay celebration: the ancient "balun" dance on the square, archaic instruments - roženice, mih and duplice, and two - part harsh song. Red-hot sun immerses into the sea.

The Istrian night is beckoning you. Artists rush to Istra - Istria, because this enchanntress intoxicates them, seduces them and fornicates with them. Whoever comprehends Istra - Istria will always be faithful to her.
Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus, an honourable gentleman and a senatour, in the year 537 reduced all the words from this breviary into a single sentence: "Patricians lead a divine life in Istra - Istria".

Location
Istra - Istria is the Adriatic below the Alps. Central Europe's closest Mediterranean. The westernmost Country of the Republic of Croatia, and the largest peninsula of the Adriatic coast. It lieas on the 45 th parallel, emphasizing its idyllic geographical position, with perfectly arranged seasons, springs of lush greenery, colorful autumns, pleasant summers and mild winters.

Area
2.820 km2 (triangle Dragonja, Rt Kamenjak, Učka).

Population
200.000.

Coast length
445,1 km (well-indented coast is twice as long as the road one). The western coast of Istria is 242,5 km long, with islands 327,5 km (178,1 M). The eastern coast of Istria is 202,6 km long, with the pertaining islets 212,4 km (114,5 M).

Climate
Mild, Mediterranean climate (warm and dry summers, mild and pleasant winters) Average amount of sunshine: 2.400 hours. Owing to the day's length and plenty of clear days throughout the summer it has the longest insolation with a daily average of 10 hours in Istrian seaside resorts. Characteristic winds are "bura" (wind blowing from the north to the south, bringing clear weather), "jugo" (south, warm wind bringing rain) and "maestral" (summer breeze blowing from the land to the sea).

Vegetation
Istra - Istria is the largest green oasis of the North Adriatic. The coast and the islands are covered with pine woods and easily recognizable green macchia. The main specimens of macchia are holm oak and strawberry trees. 35% Istria is covered with forests.

Sea
The lowest sea temperature is in March ranging from 9.3 C up to 11.1 C and being the highest in August when it reaches 23.3 C and 24.1 C; salinity amounts approximately to 36 - 38 pro mille.

Source: www.istra.com