Motovun is the town-monument, ancient Istrian town which today's shape has an origin from the Middle Ages, from XII and XIII century. The longest stairway in Istria, contained of 1052 stairs, leads to the Venetian-style main city square, placed at the top of the town hill.

Here we have to mention a couple of details from rich architectural heritage of Motovun: renaissance city gate with the tower, renaissance city palace, city lodge, parochial church of St. Stephen and a couple of smaller churches, medieval shape of city streets, city cisterns, plenty of coat of arms on the fronts of city buildings. The placement and the look of Motovun makes him as one of most beautiful old towns in whole Mediterranean area. Hotel "Kaštel" is placed at the main town square, in the XVIII century palace.

A huge vineyards lays along around Motovun, and their fruits are famous Istrian vines, teran and malvasia. The Motovun forest, which covers most of kilometers long valley of the Mirna river, is the area very fruitful with the famous underground mushrooms, truffles. In Istria, people collects truffles with specially trained dogs. Black truffles can be found during the summer and early autumn, but at the late autumn and winter comes the time of collecting the most tasteful and precious Istrian white truffles. In October, in several places along the Mirna valley the festivity called "The days of the truffles" takes place, and here we have to point to that Hotel "Kaštel" is very proud with it's offer of foods with truffles.

THE MOTOVUN CELEBRITIES

ANDREA ANTICO (1480-1539) JOSEPH RESSEL (1793-1857) MARIO ANDRETTI
(1940)

the renaissance composer and the inventor of printing of the musical notes was born in Motovun

 the inventor of the ship propeller, serviced in Motovun as the chief forester, and here he developed his most important inventions

famous Formula 1 world champion and Indianapolis race winner was born in Motovun. Today he lives in the USA

MOTOVUN EVENTS

Motovun is very close to most visited Adriatic tourist centers, Istrian towns Poreč, Rovinj, Umag, and it's being pretty famous trip destination  for the tourists from Istrian coastal hotels. At the same time, Motovun is also the center of the congress and cultural tourism. During the year, a number of traditional and international manifestations takes place in Motovun:

Traditional popular "game of the horn" is the part of the Carnival festivities. At the day of the "Clean Wednesday", day after the Ruby Tuesday, men from Motovun are contesting in throwing the wooden sticks called "bachooka" as close as possible to the ox horn. The game runs from the top to the bottom of the Motovun hill.

Motovun is the setting of the International research center for late Antique and early Middle Ages. Historians and art-historians, archeologists and other scientists every summer have their annual meeting in Motovun, and during the year they research the cultural and historical heritage all over the Istria.

At the beginning of July, Motovun hosts the International school for the Health Promotion, patronized by World Health Organization (WHO) and organized by School of the popular health "Andrija Štampar" from Zagreb. It's also the time of the annual meeting of Croatian Healthy Cities Network.

Traditional "Motovun fair", annual popular festivity which takes place at the 2nd of August, is dedicated to the anniversary of the first blessing of the parochial church of St. Stephen.

The Motovun International film festival, founded in 1999, in the beginning gathers over 20.000 film lovers. Hotel "Kaštel" traditionally hosts several festival events, including the accommodation of  the festival participants and guests, evening festival parties, and night film projections at the hotel terrace.

Thanks to the beauty and condition of it's architectural heritage, a couple of decades ago Motovun attracted architects and other experts which here found their inspiration for researching, protecting and saving the architectural heritage of whole Istrian region. Annual international meeting of worldwide architects in Motovun is well known as Summer school of architecture.

Autumn and winter gives to the people of Motovun and to their guests a plenty of gifts of the nature. It's the season of gathering of the famous Istrian white truffles, and the season when Motovun vineyards gives the best Istrian vines, teran and malvasia. During all October, in the whole Mirna valley - in places Oprtalj, Istarske Toplice, Gradinje, and Motovun - the festivity "Days of the truffles" takes place. Tasting the foods of the fresh truffles, noble and aphrodisiac underground mushroom, is a very special experience during this festivity, which is followed by a lot of entertainment programs. Besides all month long "Days of the truffles", Motovun is a host of another festivity which takes place at the first weekend of November - "The balloons, vines and truffles festival", the manifestation where gastronomical pleasures are enriched by the spirit of the adventurism.

MOTOVUN SURROUNDINGS

The "Motovun ranch", nearby the village of Brkač, a little western of Motovun, is a place where pleasant time in the horse-riding school is offered. More experienced riders have the possibility of riding tours in the Mirna valley and surrounding area. Reservations can be accepted at the reception on the Hotel "Kaštel".

Kaldir, village eastern of Motovun on the hill above the Mirna valley, together with a dozen of little villages around Kaldir, is the most famous area in Istria by it's fruit, specially pears. The springtime transforms the whole valley under the Kaldir village into a flower sea of dozens of thousands fruit-trees in bloom, and the autumn gives a plenty of a beautiful fruit tastes. In Kaldir area there are interesting events in winter also: this is the only parochy in Istria where old custom of "Kolejani" is preserved. "Kolejani" are the greeters which goes from house to house in the night of the Epiphany, in costumes of the Three Holly Kings, wishing a good year to everyone by singing greeting songs, and collecting traditional gifts - vine, eggs and domestic sausages.

HOTEL "KAŠTEL"

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