Istra ( Istria ), the largest Croatian peninsula, is like an island full of treasures waiting to be discovered. Its rocky coast reaches from the Kvarner Bay on the east to the Trieste Bay in the west and Istria's enchanted state of the Mediterranean spirit lures travelers and tourists with its hospitality. There are many suppositions about the origin of the name of Istria but most likely originates from the Illyrian tribe called Histri that used to live in these areas before the Roman conquest.
Istra ( Istria ) is on the 45th parallel, precisely halfway from the North Pole to the equator. Life here is lived in two ways, in two climate with average insolation of 2400 hours a year, providing the mild Mediterranean climate. Plava Istra ( Blue Istria ) is an area along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and Zelena Istra ( Green Istria ) is an interior - complementing each other harmoniously. Administrative center is Pazin with population of 9 000 but the economic center and the largest Istrian town is Pula with 60 000 inhabitants.
Old Romans had a good reason to call Istra ( Istria ) the king's larder but there is more…
"The good lady gave us a good dinner of fish cooked in oil, which in Orsera is delicious, and we drank some exquisite refosco." - wrote the famous Giacomo Casanova (Giovanni Giacomo Chevalier De Seingalt Casanova - adventurer, priest, musician, soldier, spy, diplomat, writer, freemason) in his Memoirs about Istrian wine & oil & ladies. Casanova kept coming back to Istra during 1743. and 1744., visiting Vrsar, Bale and Pula.
Istra (Istria) - Town Fairs
Istra (Istria) has a centuries-old tradition of trade fairs which Istrian towns keep alive. Fairs are places where people trade, meet, communicate, have fun as always…