A southwards-pointing peninsula in the northern Adriatic, Istria lies mostly in Croatia today, but Slovenia also has a small chunk of it – which provides the entirety of that country’s 29-mile coastline. It is a lovely area, said Laura Coffey in The Guardian, with green hills, pretty villages and “colourful” seaside towns.The largest and most “beautiful” of these, 25 miles south of the Italian city of Trieste, is Piran, known for its medieval Venetian architecture. Nearby lies the Strunjan Landscape Park, with a gorgeous beach, Moon Bay, and Izola, another “vibrant” historic harbour town. I can recommend the DeGrassi hotel there (“supremely comfortable”), as well as Kmetija Medljan, a simple farm stay in the hills. And I enjoyed visiting some artisanal wineries and food producers, including Korenika & Moškon, where the belica olive oil has a “powerful kick”.
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