During our camper tour from Slovenia to Montenegro in September we visited several medieval towns in North Croatia. It is difficult to make a choice among all the beautiful places we explored, but I was particularly impressed by the towns of Krk and Omišalj on Krk Island and Motovun in Istria. Towns with clear differences, but also with many similarities.
The island of Krk, at the northern most part of the Adriatic, makes it the first and the closest island for visitors from Western Europe. In the 1980s, this was helped by the construction of the Krk Bridge, which connects the island to the mainland.
- KRK TOWN
Krk Town, with 6,200 inhabitants, is located on the western coast of Krk island. The town was founded more than 2,000 years ago.
This former Roman municipium and the home of the most influential Croatian medieval noble family, the Frankopans, is now the administrative, cultural and religious center of the island.
Krk Town is also one of the most popular tourist resorts on the island. We knew that there were still a lot of tourists in Croatia in September, but we visited Krk Town in the early morning and we had the place all for ourselves. And it was worth it!
The town has four gates and is surrounded by city walls dating from Roman times.
We started our walk at the charming square Vela Placa, also known as the „big square“. Surrounded by beautiful historical buildings, it is definitely one of the most attractive spots in the old town. The most important building is the Old Town Hall from the Venetian period, decorated with coats of arms and a town clock.
Discovering the old town, we also visited the Cathedral, which was built as early as the 5th century, and right next to it we saw the 12th century church of Sveti Kvirin. Particularly beautiful was the Monastery Quarter, located on a hill above the town.
The most interesting attraction of Krk Town is the Frankopan Castle. It was built between the 12th and 15th century by the Frankopan family. In those times it served to protect the population from enemy attacks.
Roaming through the picturesque alleys, covered with cobblestones, we found a lot of great photo motifs.
2. OMIŠALJ
Omišalj, another popular tourist resort on Krk island, is located on a cliff at an altitude of 85 m above sea level. Its car-free old town, which offers a panoramic view over the sea, is a real jewel.
The townlet lies at the northwestern coast of Krk – it is the first town after passing the Krk bridge – and it has around 3,000 inhabitants.
Together with Krk Town, Omišalj is one of the oldest towns of Krk. It was founded in the 3rd century A.C. by the Romans with the name Fulfilium. Even today you can discover numerous Roman excavation sites and monuments in the region.
In the 12th century, Omišalj was mentioned as „Castrum (ad) musculum“ (musculi = mussels in Latin) and later it became one of the four Frankopan castles and an important center of literacy and the Glagolitic alphabet. This is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. It is generally agreed to have been crated in the 9th century by Saint Cyril (Sveti Kiril), a monk from Thessalonica.
Unfortunately, the castle of the Frankopan family, built in 1420, was demolished in the 20th century.
It was not easy to find a parking lot for our camper, but it was a great experience to take a walk through the historical center. We were amazed by the colorfully decorated buildings and houses, which created a very special atmosphere. Small alleys led through the town like a labyrinth.
A real highlight was the small church square, where we enjoyed a cup of coffee on a beautiful sunny terrace in front of the church.
Visiting Omišalj was a nice surprise – we had never expected such a charming and authentic old town here!
3. MOTOVUN
We were particularly interested in visiting Motovun, the center of truffles, as we had never eaten truffles before.
But Motovun is also a wonderful medieval town, surrounded by city walls. The first mention of Motovun (in Italian Montona) in written records dates back to 804. It was a place of many noble families, especially in the pre-Venetian period. Nowadays, it has only 500 inhabitants, which makes it very easy to explore.
Motovun is located in the northern part of Istria above the Mirna valley. The old town is dominated by a 27 m high Romanesque-Gothic bell tower from the 13th century, which stands next to the Parish Church of St. Stephen from the 17th century. In the central square is the Romanesque Municipal Palace, the largest secular building of Istria in that period. Especially beautiful are the town gates and the cobblestone streets.
But this is not the only reason that so many tourists visit Motovun. This area is especially renowned for its truffles. It is one of the few places where both white and black truffles grow.
Did you know that the largest truffle in the world was found in the forests of Motovun in 1999? The white truffle found was 19.5 cm long, 12.4 cm wide, 13.5 cm high and weighed 1.31 kg.
It appeared to be quite a problem to park our camper van, but finally we succeeded. We took a shuttle bus at the parking lot, as the town lies on the top of a hill. Motovun is a wonderful medieval town, surrounded by city walls. It has only 500 inhabitants, which makes it very easy to explore.
First of all, we took a walk along the city walls and we enjoyed the wonderful views of the surrounding landscapes. The construction of the walls and fortifications started in the 11th and 12th century and in the 15th century, Motovun was already formed into a solid Gothic fortress as we see it today.
We had lunch at the open-air terrace of „Konoba Mondo“, the most famous truffle restaurant. „Linguine with truffles“ was a good choice and we really like the taste of the fresh truffles.
A cup of coffee along the street with a fantastic view of the surroundings was a special experience. We bought some souvenirs in the form of local food and took the shuttle bus back to the parking lot.
I warmly recommend a visit of Motovun – not only for the truffles, but also for the authentic and cozy atmosphere.
No need to say that Croatia is a wonderful country! We visited many places on our camper tour in September – I just selected three of them.
Lovely story of the ancient cities of Krk Island. The need to visit them has been aroused by your description! You both looked relaxed in your last photo!