The Italians are sick of tourists. No, really, they are tired of American summer visitors traveling in their country in the form of a start and disturb their lives with our enthusiasm.
Selfies have been banned in Portofino, Venice has banned large cruise ships and will now be charged by day displacements by entrance, Amalfi has banned tourists’ buses, Rome will not allow you to sit on Spanish steps … And Cinque Terre has imposed fines of $ 2,800 for the blasphemy of Flips. Last year, in Florence, the locals took Graffiti to tell the visitors “tourists go home!” – Because, as we knew, subtlety only confuses people.
It is so bad, the BBC even published an article called: “Is Italy breaking with you?” (Answer: Type of).
To make it worse this year, even before the tourist season began, thousands of tourists surpassed a small Italian town, and later the United States government published a travel warning for the country quoting fears of terrorism.
So what is an Italophile?
Directly to the east, my friends, in Istria, the Croatian peninsula that was part of the Italian Empire for more than 600 years, and continues to keep similar charms: vineyards, truffles, Italian and Roman ruins, with an exception: not only do the visitors welcome, but also do their best to attract.
And from the last year, several luxury hotels have been opened on the Adriatic coast, including several luxury offers to the old Croatian dictator Josep Brod Tito (formerly) Private Brijuni Islands (which includes the remaining animals of their old private zoo).
My last birthday, I decided to visit an old friend, Zrinka Marinovic, who directs Croatia tailored and specialized in luxury visits to Croatia. When Zrinkka lives and works as a luxury travel adviser to the country and, therefore, is the teacher, I let my vision of the trip not look, and he was a game changing room.
I landed in Zagreb, a thumbnail Vienna that is hiking and architectural (and culturally) fascinating, as half of the city is from the Habsburg Empire and half built during the communist regime.
After having reviewed the historic Hotel de Zagreb, I went to Yugo through the city (my guide swore for the ancient Yugoslavios cars, once called The worst in the world), I visited the Broken Country Relations Museum. (The former dictator refused to stay in the hotels and, on the other hand, would build or build houses in all Yugoslavia, some of which were only visited once or twice in Tito’s life).
After celebrating my birthday within the Somptuous Spa of the Esplanade, my friend Gillian met me and Zrinka took a look at us in Istria, the unique peninsula that was previously governed by Venice and Napoleon, where only a small strip of Slovenian land separates her from Italy.
But, unlike Dubrovnik or the Dalmat Islands, where stars like Beckhams, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Jeff Bezos and Katy Perry have visited Superyachts, Istria is relatively discovered by Jet, despite being through Venesia’s Adriatic.
And thank God for that. Despite having much in common with its old homeland, Istria is full of medieval cities that cover each hill, with vineyards and truffle land in the coast, pure water, without any tourists or angry premises.
Our domestic base for the Adventure of Istrians was the Grand Park Hotel in the ancient coastal city of Rovinj. Opened only a year ago, the premises go to the Albaro Wellness Spa of the hotel, which has a dedicated sauna floor, as well as the Agli Amici Amici Rovinj restaurant with Michelin star. Located at the end of the port of the city, the hotel offers views from almost every room of the Adriatic, the medieval city and the golden forest of the Cape.
From Rovinj, Gillian I and Day we stepped on to Pula to visit the old Roman sand – one of the six largest surviving stages in the world – and the old city jump (as I mentioned, there is one above all the hills in a very mountainous area). In the meantime, we went to the truffle hunting on the Tarufi Prodfan, on the outskirts of Buza, one of the many truffle farms in the area.
“We had no idea what they were (truffles) until 1999,” Visnja Prodan told me.
This was the year Giancarlo Zigante, a local truffle hunter, found the largest truffle in the world near Buje, Istria, with a weight of 1.3.1 kilograms.
“Until then, we had always thought they were pork food,” Prodan laughed. Since then, truffles have lit many local agricultural millionaires with their products sent worldwide. And there is no better way to enjoy truffles than with Croatian wine.
And, unlike his western neighbor, Croatia has spectacular wines. For a special delight, reserve a weekend stay The Meneghetti Hotel and Winery
Twenty minutes from Rovinj by car and located in the medieval city of the Bale Mountain is the relay & chateau hotel, where customers can stay in one of the ten rustic and elegant rooms that overlooking the vineyards and the surrounding cities or in a guest residence. Customers can walk or cycling through the vineyards before having a wine and olive oil tasting along with a field meal in the plot or jumping to the free transfer service of the hotel that will transport you to the Private Club of Meneghetti Beach nearby.
But while the interior was even opening, the most prominent of the journey was far away by the Brijuni Islands, once Tito’s private courtyard.
Veliki Brijuni is especially fabulous, as there are not only three large hotels on the island, as well as a couple of residences that can be rented (including one that has been intact since Tito’s time), but also the home of Tito’s old private zoo.
“Every world leader would visit and bring with them an animal in his country,” said Zrinka. While many of these animals, including lions, jaguars, monkeys, etc., were died (and then filled and interspersed in a nearby museum), they are still zebras, ostrich, Hindu cows … as well as an old solitary elephant.
Gillian, Zrinkka and I spent a full day on this island, they were made in the old Tito Cadillac and we could stay for a week.
It was the perfect Adriatic getaway: without a crowd, and all the advantages of Italy … but without resentment.
#Forget #Italy #Direct #Body #East #Croatia #Istria
Image Source : nypost.com