Page 72 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Croatia

70  CRO A TIA AREA B Y AREA

a Tour of the Fortified Towns

The villages and towns of Istria were all fortified. The first
people to build walls were the Histri (an Illyrian tribe), who
put up defences on the hilltops where they settled. There are
136 such fortified towns in Istria. Many were abandoned, but
evidence in some shows continuous occupation from 1000 BC
up to the present day. The walls were reinforced in Roman
times and rebuilt in the late Middle Ages, then enlarged when
the towns came under Austrian or Venetian rule. Documents 3 Hum
written in the ancient Glagolitic script can be seen on a detour. This small village is protected
by an oval wall, reinforced
by the Venetians. The
4 Buzet Church of St Jerome has
An Illyrian fort and a Roman splendid 12th-century
fortification (Pinquentum), Buzet Byzantine frescoes.
belonged to the Venetians from 1420
onwards. They rebuilt the town wall
with a Large Gate and a Small Gate
(16th century). Today Buzet is known
for its truffles.

Istarske
Toplice

Račice
Livade
J

J

Pazin

5 Draguć
Medieval walls form the backs of the
houses in this village. Ramparts were built
by the Venetians after 1420. The 16th-
century Church of St Roch has a series of
frescoes, including a Journey of the Magi.
0 kilometres 3
0 miles 3 6 Motovun
This medieval town stands on a hill dominating the
Key valley. The Old Town is still encircled by an original
13th–14th-century wall. Later, a second wall was
Tour route
built around the suburbs. An internal gate, under a
Trail of the Glagolitics 15th-century tower, leads from the Lower Town to
Other roads the Upper Town.

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp226–8 and pp238–40

070-071_EW_Croatia.indd 70 20/10/16 12:28 pm