We awoke to find that there was swell pushing into the Rovinj Harbour on the western approach so the Admiral moved the ‘Tarin’ around to the protected inside marina and then after a delayed breakfast we headed for Fažana which is about 25 km south of Rovinj.
The day’s bike ride started a bit later than we’d planned due to there being some delay in receiving the berthing permission from the Fažana Harbour Master.
We rode a gentle three or four kilometres to Peroj and then climbed steadily for the next 5km arriving at Vodnjan our morning coffee destination. The town has grand Venetian and Baroque architecture with narrow limestone paved streets and multi-coloured shuttered on curved buildings that often follow the contour of the streets. The narrowness of the alleyways is partly to moderate hot summers and icy winters for the houses and to minimise wind flow past the homes.
Town Hall, Vodnjan
Alleyway, Vodnjan
The neo-Baroque Parish Church of St. Blaise was built between 1760 and 1808 and is the largest parish church in Istria with a 25m high dome and a 62m high bell tower once again modelled on the Piazza San Marco tower in Venice. Hidden behind the main altar in a dimly lit curtained area we discovered six glass cases containing the intact bodies of six saints the oldest being St. Leon Bembo who died in 1188. One of the mummies is of Sr. Nicolosa Bursa a Benedictine nun who died in Venice in 1512. The bodies are clothed and although the skin has darkened their desiccated flesh gives them a grotesque appearance. The mummies were brought here from Venice in 1818. In total the church holds 370 relics belonging to 250 different saints!
Church of St. Blaise, Vodnjan
Bell Tower, Vodnjan
After a coffee we wandered through the back alleys of this sleepy little village and admired the stone structures and the colours of the concrete rendered buildings. The dominant colours seem to be Venetian red (more a burgundy colour really), buttercup yellow, orange and blue.
Before leaving Vodnjan we rode a short way out of the town to view some intriguing stone structures called Kazun. These are dry stone circular buildings somewhat like a yurt but with a conical stone roof. They provided shelter for shepherds and peasants and were common in the late 18th century when farmers were clearing their land of rocks and stones in order to make the ground arable and viable for olive groves.
Kazun, Vodnjan
We then had a speedy downhill ride back to Fažana for a lunch break and some had a swim. Fažana is an important port for olive oil distribution, fishing and for access to the nearby Brijuni Islands. These islands are now a national park but in times past provided a popular holiday location for the ‘famous’ like George Bernard Shaw, Arch Duke Ferdinand and President Tito who entertained kings, queens, famous politicians and film stars at his exclusive summer home on the main island.
Fazana
Breakwater, Fazana
The town of Fazana has an impressively built breakwater/groyne that extends out to sea for about 150m and is constructed from neatly placed rectangular blocks of limestone that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. In a side street we discovered a wood turner and carver whose displayed work was quite magnificent. He works with timbers similar in appearance to those used by Tasmanian artisans.
From then on it was about a 12km fairly flat ride following the coast for most of the way down to Pula. The last few kilometres before entering Pula were alongside a disused military base that housed thousands of troops and equipment prior to the Second World War.
At Pula we rejoiced and had final group photos with our bikes that had been so significant to us for these last seven days. The 240km bike trip was suddenly over.
Group photo by Tarin, Pula
Group photo by Tarin, Pula
At our last dinner on the boat we all expressed our gratitude to the crew and our two guides for their outstanding efforts over this last week. Without doubt our whole group of seventeen riders has had a truly fantastic cycling tour of the Istrian peninsula.
Crew, Island Hopping on Tarin