Olives, Sheepdogs, Umbrellas - Lovrečica, Novigrad, Umag - Istria

Idealism increases in direct proportion 

to one’s distance from the problem.

John Galsworthy

View of Umag from its Lovrečica suburb

The majority of the Istrian Coastal Area is populated with Croats – anywhere from 55-65% of them depending on which town you are in.  Their populace is interspersed with 15-18% Italians, 3-4% Serbs, 2-3% Slovenes, 1-2% Bosnians, and 1% Albanians.  Interestingly however, nearly 100% of the inhabitants speak Italian, a wink to the long history of the Venetian Empire's hold on this region for over 450 years.

Umag

We only biked through Umag, not stopping for very long so I don’t have much to say about it, other than it resembled many of the other places we visited on this trip.  A rather compact old town with ancient protective walls, by the sea, and bordered, inland, by olive orchards, and vineyards. 

While there are seemingly hundreds of vineyards scattered all across the Istrian region, some of the best lie within the vicinity of Umag.

We rode down a long promenade where many people enjoyed picnicking, cycling, volleyball, walking, swimming, reading on benches, playing with their children, etc.  Eventually this 15.5 miles (25km) promenade will be extended to around 25 miles (40km), making it the longest in the Adriatic. 

What is now a peninsula, used to be an island, and the settlement itself was situated at the end of the port of Umag. The partially preserved town walls - with the town gate and a draw-bridge were built in the 10^th century. It is protected by a 1,325 feet (404m) breakwater for which construction began in 1825.

Of all the small towns I rode through along this coast, this one seemed the most active as it pertained to fishing.  Men repairing nets, boats coming in and out, fish in buckets on the dock surveyed by many begging seagulls.

Large shrine along the road

Shepherd with his two acolytes

Very friendly canines indeed

Finally get to see the calm flock they are herding

Try some špaleta

As I cycled through this agricultural area in early fall, I saw farmers checking their olive or grape crops, preparing and planning for the upcoming harvesting season.  Should you be here after harvest, it would be a great time to do olive oil or wine tastings. Should you be here around early spring, it would be time to try some špaleta.  Should you be here during the summer, clams are at their optimum. There is something great tasting for each season but I’ll only address špaleta which is a prosciutto-like dried pork shoulder that is cured over the winter months and is ready to eat much sooner than prosciutto, as it is smaller and easier to cure.

The famously strong bora wind, meat and salt come together to create špaleta, the ambassador of Istrian cuisine.  It is first salted and then left to the mighty bora, but unlike prosciutto, it is dried with the skin on. Since it is smaller than prosciutto and has more bones, špaleta ripens earlier.

Špaleta is a traditional delicacy and the custom is to bring it to church at Easter, to be blessed before eating, even if not completely dry. While in central Istria boiled pork shoulder or špaleta is eaten for Easter breakfast, western and southern Istria prefer it fried. For that, the špaleta is sliced very thinly otherwise it becomes hard when it cools down. It is then fried in olive oil for about ten seconds on each side.  Malvasia wine is then added and the špaleta is simmered for a few more seconds. It is best served with frittata and wild local asparagus.

Spaleta ready earlier than prosciutto due to its smaller size
Usually first blessed and eaten on Easter Day

Served the northern way with frittata and asparagus

Somewhat abandoned garden by the Adriatic Sea

Small regatta

Olives are ready in the fall - very soon

Umbrella Streets

It all started back in 2011 when a Portuguese design firm collaborated with the local government to create a small installation on a narrow street in Agueda, Portugal. Inspired by the iconic children’s character Mary Poppins and her magical floating umbrella, the installation featured hundreds of colorful umbrellas suspended above the street. The Umbrella Street was an instant hit. Pictures of this vibrant scene spreading like wildfire all over the internet.

Over time, the Umbrella Street became an even bigger draw, attracting tourists from all over the world. The installation became a symbol of Agueda and a local point of pride, with residents proudly displaying lit umbrellas on their balconies or donning umbrella hats.  If you'd like to see it in person, plan accordingly because you can only see them from July 1^st to September 30^th. 

If you can’t make it to Agueda in the summer, they also have a Christmas edition.  The winter installation is part of the Christmas magic, with illuminated white umbrellas and a red carpet creating the perfect color combination for that festive season.

Novigrad followed suit in 2013 (but their installation stays up through October) first hanging umbrellas during a summer street festival.  Their hanging umbrellas fit perfectly into the scenery of the old town nucleus, and those who love photography and beautiful panorama have been given a perfect background for vibrant photos even on a cloudy day.  Above your head, the sky is filled with color. Light filters down through row after row of perfectly positioned umbrellas, a cheerful addition to the surrounding. 

So popular it became, the Umbrella Street’s success has inspired similar installations in other countries too: Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, England, France, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Romania, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, etc.

Creating a colorful sky while offering needed shade on hot days, each umbrella street is different and a bit unique – some with semi-transparent umbrellas (Portugal), others with various shades of green to make it look like you are in a forest (Japan), only a couple of colors, orange + red (England), many colors (Croatia), installed on arches (Dubai) instead of flat, each umbrella a rainbow (Turkey), hot pink only (Puerto Rico), installed upside down rather than right side up (Indonesia), or red and white only (Romania). 

The umbrellas of Novigrad

Biking under the umbrellas of Novigrad

Novigrad

Located in the intimate surroundings of western Istria, where the river Mirna meets the Adriatic Sea, Novigrad is a true gem, hiding within its city walls the inimitable Mediterranean charm, all the hospitality of a small fishing town and exquisite cuisine. Bordered by boundless blue-green landscapes, relish in the smell of the sea mixed with centuries-old pine trees and enjoy the moment, lulled by the sound of waves lapping at your feet and birds chirping.

The first written reference to the city goes back to the distant 599 CE. Novigrad was founded on the grounds of several villages that are known to have existed on this same land in the past- Neapolis in the 7^th century, Civitas Nova in the 9^th century, and ancient Emona in the 12^th century.

All of this to say that Novigrad’s background is filled with a rich and turbulent past. However, the peninsula on which the old town emerged is shrouded in secrets, and it is still not clear how the town came to be. 

Experts believe that, initially, a Roman villa, similar to many others discovered in the vicinity, was built on the peninsula. Because of the peninsula’s favorable position in terms of defense, a castrum or military settlement sprung up around the villa in late Antiquity, and from the 4^th to the 7^th century, it gradually developed into a town. 

Novigrad, together with the entire Istrian west coast, was subjected to pirate attacks in the 10^th century. Considering the growing aspirations of the Venetian Republic towards Istrian coastal towns, Novigrad was forced to swear allegiance to Venetian rule from which it tried to free itself without success in 1270. Defense walls, parts of which can be seen today, were erected during the Venetian era.

The plague raged in Novigrad from the 13^th to 17^th centuries; wars, in the 16^th century; and malaria, in the 19^th century. In the 16^th and 17^th centuries the town was almost depopulated, and only in the late 19^th century did it gradually begin to revive and prosper with the development of tourism that was then affected by the two world wars.

Novigrad’s folks claim that this area is the cleanest part of the Adriatic Sea so go enjoy a nice swim…

Interesting tiny four-wheel postal vehicle

Red seaweed piling up on the shore

Enjoying final dinner of the trip - scampi and braised veggies
Without truffles!

Last morning on wheels.  Lovreciča having a coffee by the beach.

With half a day to go, we return along the Secovlje Saltpans we saw on our way here.  It wasn't the open season for collecting the salt so we didn't stop to visit but it was still interesting to see how much the salt pans, even when not in use are good for wildlife, from turtles to birds (next post).