My family is artsy-oriented. My brother Ožbej is very much into painting. He mostly loves to work with pastels. For the past few years he was taking part in an annual painting festival, Ex tempore organised in Grožnjan, a little lovely town in Istra. He always came home impressed with the cuteness (he would never use this word) of the town. I’ve always wanted to visit the town merely because of his enthusiasm about it. And the occasion arrived. Marko and I were invited to a wedding in Istria (post from the wedding is coming soon) so we grabbed this opportunity to visit the only Croatian settlement with an ethnic Italian majority.

Grožnjan is a beautiful town on the top of the hill (like a lot of Istrian towns) with narrow streets and a lot of history. Many ancient roman artefacts and the remains of a roman house were found in and near the village. Besides rich history it is all about art, art galleries and music festivals. Grožnjan hosts an annual jazz festival which won the European award for the best small jazz festival in 2008.

We spent a whole weekend in Istria and we had another great Airbnb experience. We stayed in Momjan with Michael and Marijana (by the way, if you travel a lot, get €24 coupon for Airbnb). They are warm and interesting couple and we had a great time talking for hours over an excellent coffee – Michael is a true barista. Plus, they are perfect for anyone who loves cycling. They have more than 20 bicycles to rent and know Istra and cycling roads very good. Overall, I highly recommend a weekend in Istra AND staying with them. You will not regret it.

Blouse from H&M
Trousers from Stradivarius
Sunglasses from Conbipel
Bag from Parfois
Shoes from Stradivarius