Sunday 25 September 2016

A walk through Gračišće


The summer tourist season is over, and September is always welcome for its calm and quiet, and  lingering summer-like weather. That said, there are still lots of foreign cars and camper vans on the roads, but the pre- and post-season tourist season brings fewer crowds and a different type of tourist. This is also the time when big tourist buses of mostly older travellers make their rounds around the Istrian peninsula, stopping in towns and villages on their way. Gračišće is also on this trail, and I regularly see groups of Austrian, German, Dutch, French, or Italian tourists traipsing around the village, following their guides who offer them facts and historical details along the way.

But luckily our little village in central Istria is still one of the less frequented of the peninsula's many charming hilltop villages and seaside towns. The tourists I've met who choose to stay here in Gračišće and use it as their base to visit Istria, tend to be people who like to move off the beaten track, and prefer a landscape of rolling hills to crowded coastlines. 

This is what the Lonely Planet says about Gračišće:

Gračišće, 7km southeast of Pazin, is a sleepy medieval town surrounded by rolling hills, and is one of Istria’s well-kept secrets. Its collection of ancient buildings includes the 15th-century Venetian-Gothic Salamon Palace, the Romanesque Church of St Euphemia, and the Church of St Mary from 1425.
Most of these buildings are unrestored (although some work is being done). You won’t need more than 30 minutes to circle the tiny town, but the ambience is truly lovely. There’s an 11.5km circular hiking trail that leads from here, which is well marked with signs.

This week I've been testing my new camera and taking a few shots around the village. Take a walk through Gračišće...














4 comments:

  1. There is a saying see Rome and die; after going through your pictures I would like to see Istria and then die! I am longing to see your place some day in the near future!. I am very fond of walking and your place would tempt me to walk from sun rise to a full moon rise!

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    Replies
    1. I hope you have the chance to see Istria one day. This is also a paradise for walkers!

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  2. I'm very glad I've discovered your blog as my family also comes from Gračišće, and now I come by monthly. I will try to find you, that shouldn't be too hard :) as Gračišće is tiny.
    Best regards
    Gvozden Rovina

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    Replies
    1. Welcome to my window Gvozden! Yes, you can certainly find me easily... just ask for Isabel.

      My father guesses that you belong to the family that moved to Ljubljana. Is he right?

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