Istria is a small magnificent world for itself. Although the list of reasons to love Istria is endless, this time we show only some of them. Let’s start.

#1 Lots of tiny hilltop villages

Inland Istria is peppered with fairytale-esque tiny villages perched on hilltops guarded by thick stone walls. To get to them, you have to drive at a near-vertical angle to reach the summit but in the end, the view of rolling hills and valleys, sprawling vineyards, and patches of the forest below is always worth it.

#2 Istrians put truffles in EVERYTHING

Pasta. Cheese. Bread. Risotto. Eggs. Steak. Rakija. It’s on everything in very generous amounts. Not only will they cook a dish with truffles, but they’ll also shave more on top before it’s delivered to the table. If you don’t like truffles, Istria ain’t for you.

[Read: Rakija, Croatia’s legendary liqueur]

#3 The colors

Many of the towns in Istria, especially the ones that line the coast like Pula, Rovinj, Novigrad, and Opatija, are candy-colored. Their unique architecture is painted in bright yellows, rich blues, warm reds, and every other color in the easter egg spectrum.

#4 Wine, ahem

Istria is full of vineyards. Its primary varietals are malvazija, a crisp white wine, and teran, an acidic red, both of which easily balance out the rich pastas and risottos found in Istria.

[Read: Croatian wine cheat sheet]

#5 It’s 20 minutes from Italy

Once you leave the Croatian border, it only takes 20 minutes to cross Slovenia’s meager sliver of coastline and reach Italy. Trieste, to be exact, which is a bustling seaside city of 500,000. During all my trips to Istria, I can’t resist a day trip to Trieste for lunch.

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