Summer on the Slovenian Riviera | Slovenia holidays
I’m riding a salt-coloured horse through the Dragonja valley, deep in the green hills of Slovenian Istria. Electric-blue dragonflies zip over the river as we gallop past olive trees and vineyards. The landscape rises steeply in a series of grassy terraces, and at the top of the hill we rein in the sweating horses to take in the view. Far below, the huge grids of solinas (salt pans), glittery and light-blue in the early morning light, look strange and somehow elegant against the wild, expansive sea beyond.
The Istrian peninsula is the largest in the Adriatic Sea, with 90% of it in Croatia and smaller portions in Slovenia and Italy. I’ve come to explore the Slovenian section. At just 29 miles (47km), the country’s coastline is one of the shortest in Europe, from the Italian city of Trieste down to the Croatian border, but it boasts colourful seaside towns, hilltop villages and an emerging gastronomy scene.
We ride back to Kmetija Medljan, the farm where I’m staying, in time for breakfast – served at long communal tables under the shade of a mulberry tree – with freshly laid eggs, strawberries from the garden and homemade bread. The Kodarin family bought the land in the 1980s and today the farm is run by Marina, Marko and their son Tilen. There are simple rooms near the stables, rustic apartments in the old farmhouse and plans to build treehouses in the future. For now, it feels much as it must have done 250 years ago. House martins flit through the air hunting insects, chickens cluck in the orchard, and horses graze among the olive trees. The coast is just a 10-minute drive away, but the peace of the Istrian hills is what guests come for – along with Marina’s delicious home cooking (her take on traditional Slovenian noodle soup is a favourite).
Not far from the farm is the Saltworks Museum, where I learn more about the Sečovlje salt pans I glimpsed from the hillside. Housed in three former salt-workers’ houses, the museum has interactive displays and abandoned pans you can visit. Salt is still harvested by hand in the working part of the salt pans, historian Prof Flavio Bonin explains as we walk around large crystallisation basins where sea water once ran through a series of shallow pools with the salt becoming increasingly concentrated. Istrian salt is prized for its quality and whiteness, the solni cvet, or salt flower, having a delicate, slightly sweet taste.
There’s a stark beauty to this empty landscape, and the solinas are also an important haven for wildlife. A black-winged stilt with bright orange legs stalks slowly through the pans in search of lunch, and snow-white egrets rise up from the marshlands into the azure sky as I watch.
My next stop is medieval Piran, a little way up the coast towards Italy, perhaps the most beautiful of Slovenia’s seaside towns. The Venetian Republic ruled Istria for five centuries and took one-fifth of the salt produced in tax, while a seventh went to Piran, which became wealthy as a result. The Venetian influence is everywhere, from the elegant painted houses in shades of lemon, orange and coral, to the Italian-inspired culinary scene. Rostelin is known for its handmade pasta, though for me a dish of delicate raw scallops, served with thin slices of black truffle, steals the show.
I’m staying in Benečanka Casa Veneziana in Tartini Square, which is the finest example of Venetian gothic architecture in the town. Legend has it that, in the 15th century, a Venetian merchant fell in love with a beautiful girl from Piran and built her the prettiest house in the city. But their relationship scandalised the town’s gossips, since he had a family back in Venice. So he defiantly had the inscription Lasa pur dir (let them talk) engraved on the front wall.
The water surrounding Piran is a protected marine area, and in the afternoon I go scuba diving, hoping to spot sea horses, which live in the sea grass meadows close to shore. The shallow reef runs close to the promenade, so I can walk straight into the water with my instructor. The sea horses prove elusive, but there is plenty of other marine life, including a jaunty, hairy crab wearing a bright orange marine sponge as a cap. There are no sandy beaches here, but people swim from the rocky waterfront, which has ladders down into the water.
From Piran, it’s an easy walk along the coastal path to Izola, 7 miles to the east. The trail cuts through the Strunjan landscape park and passes one of Slovenia’s loveliest beaches, Moon Bay. I stop for lunch on the breezy terrace of the Belvedere hotel. Located at the top of a hill, it offers excellent seafood and sweeping views to Trieste.
Izola manages to be laid-back and vibrant at the same time. From my base at the supremely comfortable DeGrassi hotel, I stroll to Ljubljanska Ulica, a street bursting with artists’ workshops, pink and peach houses and colourful bunting. Music is playing, old men drink coffee and kids play in the street.
Along from here is a tiny museum, where cultural heritage expert Gregor Benčina tells me the history of the place. Izola was originally a poor fishing village. “Piran was our mortal enemy,” Gregor says solemnly. “In medieval times, there was a law that when an Izolan died, they could leave their wealth to anyone local or international, but it was forbidden to leave anything to people from Piran.”
after newsletter promotion
The next day, local guide Matic Horvat takes me on an ebike tour of the surrounding countryside. We zip effortlessly through the Šavrini hills, planted with vines, as well as olive, cherry, fig and almond trees, and swoop down the endless descent from Gažon to Koper, which makes me whoop like a child. In the port city, we stop for a zingy orange and ginger ice-cream, before a leisurely return to Izola.
As the heat of the afternoon cools into one of those long, languid evenings, I stop by Manzioli wine bar, on the main square, for an aperitivo of fresh rosé from local winemaker Zaro. The bar’s owner, Marko, explains that his family’s vineyards are located very close to the water and the salt informs the minerality, which gives this wine its depth of flavour. Across the square, Bujol is one of superstar Slovene chef Ana Roš’s favourite places to eat on the coast, and I feast on plump mussels and fritto misto (mixed fry) with a killer homemade tabasco sauce.
The next day, teenagers belt out punk rock from the bandstand, and Istrian food producers set out their wares at the Pier of Tastes food market, which is held monthly from April to October (except in July and August).
Keen to learn more about the local produce and award-winning wines, I join Nina Golob, from the tourist board, to visit some artisan producers in nearby villages (she’s launching her own tours soon). Tilen Praprotnik is dedicated to reviving indigenous grape varieties and produces an extraordinary malvasia wine, while at Korenika & Moškon we taste different varieties of olive oil, including belica, which has a powerful kick. We finish up at Gostilna Korte, where Lejla, the owner, brings out dish after dish of delights, including steak served with a wild asparagus sauce that has me practically licking the plate.
On my final morning in Izola, I wake early. The sea is warm as I slip in and swim past the lighthouse as the sun rises higher. Summertime on the Slovenian Riviera – it may not be big, but it hits the spot for a different kind of seaside break.
The trip was provided by the Slovenia tourist board, Visit Izola and Portorož & Piran. Kmetija Medljan has apartments sleeping up to 4 from €115 B&B (3 nights minimum); Benečanka Casa Veneziana in Piran has rooms from €165, including breakfast at a cafe; DeGrassi hotel in Izola has rooms from €130 B&B (2 nights minimum)
Laura Coffey’s book, Enchanted Islands: Travels Through Myth & Magic, Love & Loss, is published by Summersdale at £10.99. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply