Hum, Croatia

Hum, Croatia, November, 2011

 Istria, the peninsula of northwest Croatia that juts out into the Adriatic Sea, is divided into two parts.  Blue Istria and Green Istria.  Blue Istria consists of the coastline.  Old towns, built hundreds of years ago with the local limestone make way for larger resort areas.  Tourists love the beaches, clean water, mild temperatures and, for Europe, reasonable prices.  Now, don't get me wrong, I think Blue Istria is fantastic.  Rovinj is one of my all-time favorite places to visit.  

But, Green Istria.  ahhhh, Green Istria.  We originally decided to visit Istria because we had gone to Italy several times, enjoyed it tremendously, and then heard of this place called Istria.  It used to be part of Italy, they said.  Rolling hills, vineyards, olive groves, just like Tuscany.  

Just like Tuscany?  Really?  How could it be true?

Well, not really like Tuscany, they said.

Ah-ha!  Not like Tuscany, after all!

No, not like Tuscany.  Better.  Istria, they said, is like Tuscany forty years ago.  Wines still made in the rustic, traditional way before international wine conglomerates came calling.  Like forty years ago before every American in shorts with socks and sandals descended on the hills, taking advantage of cheap airfares and a strong dollar.  Like Tuscany forty years ago when every town pressed their own olive oil and poured it, green and unfiltered on pasta, in soups, and on bread.

And just like Tuscany, there's truffles.  Every fall men (and today, some women) venture into the Motovun Forest in search of the elusive underground morsel.  In fact, the world's largest truffle was found in Istria in 1999.

So, in 2011, we went.  And just like Tuscany, Green Istria is dotted with little hill towns and villages.  Motovun is perhaps the most famous, but even Motovun isn't known to most Americans.  

Then there's Grožnjan, the artist colony where you can pop into one of the dozens of workshops and watch all kinds of artisans show off their skills.

But, I think our favorite Istrian hill town might have been Hum.

Hum, Croatia, November, 2011

Hum bills itself as the world's smallest town, with a population of 21 souls.  Maybe this is a marketing campaign, but if it is, it doesn't seem to be working as we were the only tourists there on the day we visited.

Hum, Croatia, November, 2011

 

There aren't a lot of attractions in Hum.  There's a 500 year-old bell tower, a small museum, and the town's defensive walls.  There is also an amazing set of massive doors leading into the town, festooned with handles shaped like ox horns.

Hum, Croatia, November, 2011

There's also a restaurant in Hum, Humska Konoba, which is supposed to be quite good, but it must have been closed the day we were there.

Hum, Croatia, November, 2011

In fact, the best thing about Hum is just wandering the streets and enjoying the peace and quiet.  We sat for at least an hour in one spot, listening to the birds.  The views are spectacular, too.  And, if you see one of the 28 residents of Hum, strike up a conversation.  Perhaps they'll offer a sip of homemade Rakija.

One final note about Hum.  I enjoyed our visit so much that I added a short bit about it in my novel Truffle Hunt.

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