Yellow Muscat & Istrian Cittanova

The city of Novigrad-Cittanova is located on the northwestern coast of the Istrian peninsula, 25 km from the border with Slovenia. It is approximately 15 kilometers away from the nearby city centers – Poreč, Umag, and Buje. The city area officially includes a total of five settlements. These are: Antenal, Bužinija, Dajla, Mareda and Novigrad.

One of the reasons why I love Novigrad is certainly because of my mother who lives there, with whom I had the opportunity to get to know every stone. What always makes me happy, when I think of its Mediterranean charm, is the preserved sea, campsites, tradition, cultural and historical heritage, interesting summer events, but also the quality of the food and wine offered.

Novigrad – boats in the port, Photo: Jelena Mirić

I opened this summer sea season with Istria, and was especially interested in what was new this year. There are already a lot of tourists in Novigrad, mostly Italians, Slovenians, and Germans, as far as I could tell through casual conversations. I must also note the interesting events that will be on the program this season.

I also had the opportunity to visit the Dajla-Daila Testamenta heri et hodie exibiton, which was created in collaboration with the Archives of the Abbey of Praglia. Archival, artistic, and photographic material that tells a concise visual narrative about the arrival of the Benedictines from their native Praglia near Padua to (Austrian) Istria, that is, Dajla. Beautiful! If you happen to be in Istria, know that the exhibition is open until July 2, 2023.

Considering that I get tangled up with time and life commitments every time, my choice for online work with a view of the sea is the Tramonto bar, and the idea for swimming and a good cocktail is the Aminess Hotel complex.

Here you can practice your favorite sport, relax in the sea or the wellness center, but also taste divine dishes and wines from the hotel restaurant. There is also an open-air library that operates according to the principle: take books for free – but return them responsibly after reading.

Library on the beach, Photo: Jelena Mirić

If you are looking for wineries in Novigrad and the best offer for domestic red, white, and rose wines, as well as dry, semi-dry, sweet, and semi-sweet wines – this is a list of recommendations for a good choice. My choice of wine bar & shop is Pervino for a simple reason: good wine, friendly waiters, and theclose proximity of the apartment in case I take a few glasses too much!

They say that Novigrad is more for parents with kids, but there is also entertainment for young people, of course everything in accordance with personal affinities, although I’m not representative, I’m a bit older. 🙂

There are various excursions from Novigrad, and my recommendation is definitely Rovinj. I like that in the old part of the city there are various souvenir shops and bars with unique things for all my creative people who, so far, have not complained to me about bad gifts.

Novigrad, Photo: Jelena Mirić

This season, I finally tried the sushi specialties in Novigrad, on the recommendation of the waiter, miso soup, yaki udon ebi, and wakame salad. Uh, the Japanese/Balkan heart and the Adriatic Sea, as young people would say.

The sea is a must, the fun is even better – and me, I will take a shelter from the rain with a yellow muscat, you already know where.