Motovun

Motovun (Croatian pronunciation: [mɔtɔ̌ʋuːn], Italian: Montona or Montona d'Istria) is a village in central Istria, Croatia. The population of the village itself is 531, with a total of 983 residents in the municipality (2001); 192 of the residents speak Italian as their mother language. The Parenzana was a narrow gauge railroad that ran from Trieste to Poreč /Parenzo between 1902–1935, passed valley below the town.

Understand

Motovun/Montona is a medieval town that grew up on the site of an ancient city called Castellieri. It is situated on a hill 270 metres (886 feet) above sea level with houses scattered all over the hill. On the inner walls are several coats-of-arms of different Motovun/Montona ruling families and two gravestones of Roman inhabitants (dating from the 1st century).

In the 10th and 11th centuries it belonged to the Bishop of Parenzo/Poreč . From 1278 it was taken over by Venice and surrounded by solid walls which are still intact today, and used as a walkway with unique views over the four corners of Istria. All three parts of the town are connected by a system of internal and external fortifications with towers and city gates containing elements of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles, built between the 14th and 17th centuries. It is a typical example of Venetian colonial architecture.

See

• ⊙Parish Church of St. Stephen (Sveti Stjepan)
  The late-Renaissance church of St. Stephen was built right at the beginning of the 17th century according to sketches probably designed by the well-known Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). The church contains several works of art: the marble statues of St. Stephen and St. Laurence by Francesco Bonazzo and the 17th-century painting of the Last Supper over the altar by an unknown Venetian artist. The water cisterns in the square in front of the church date from the 14th and 15th centuries.
• The forest of Motovun/Montona

  The river Mirna or Quieto river flows below the hill and on the other side of the river there is the famous Motovun/Montona forest, an area of about 10 square kilometres (4 sq mi) in the valley of the river Mirna, of which 280 hectares (690 acres) is specially protected. This area differs completely not only from the nearby forests, but also from those of the entire surrounding karst region because of its wild life, moist soil and rich-with-prized-black-and-white truffles (Tuber magnatum), which grows successfully there. Since this fungus grows underground, it is gathered with the aid of specially trained dogs.

  The most common tree in the forest is the English or brown oak (Quercus robur). In order to preserve natural conditions for the development of the Motovun/Montona forest, the protected area is occasionally flooded, even though the River Mirna/Quieto is controlled and its entire valley protected from flooding.

  On the slopes of the hill, grapes for famous Istrian wines are grown: the Teran and the Malvazija wine.

Sleep

Inside the range of 4 km:

• ⊙   Hotel Kaštel, Trg Andrea Antico 7, Motovun, PC V