An old legend states that long ago giants lived in the valley of the River Mirna. They were so big that they could, looking at the towns on the hillsides above Mirna, hand each other tools and big rocks. One of the towns that were built by the giants during this
legendary time was Motovun. Many years later, when Istria was inhabited by ordinary people, the giants began to disappear. However according to legends and the stories of Vladimir Nazor the noted Motovun giant Veli Jože was so big and strong that he could shake the bell tower of the Motovun church with his bare hands.

	Motovun is a town-monument, an ancient Istrian acropolis town located atop a 277 metre high hill, whose present appearance dates back to the Middle Ages, from the 12th and 13th century. Leading to the top of the hill and its Venetian town
square is the longest Istrian staircase, with 1052 steps.

From the rich architectural heritage of Motovun especially noteworthy are the city gates with tower, renaissance town palace, town lodge, parish church Saint Stephan, the smaller churches of Madonna dei Servi and Madonna delle porte, the medieval lay out
of the streets, town cisterns and many coats of arms on the building facades. The position and vistas of Motovun make it one of the most beautiful towns on the Mediterranean. Hotel "Kaštel" is located on the main town square, in a palace from the 18th century.

Around Motovun lie vineyards from which come the renowned Istrian wines, teran and malvasia, while the Motovun forest, which extends for kilometres along the Mirna valley, is the dwelling place of the famed underground mushrooms, truffles that are

	extracted in this region with the help of specially trained dogs. Summer and early autumn is the period when black truffles come to fruition, whereas the Istrian white truffles are gathered in late autumn and winter. In the month of October, in numerous
places in the Mirna Valley, festivities of "The days of truffles" are held. Dishes made with these truffles are the pride of the Hotel "Kaštel" in Motovun.

Motovun has historically been the most significant inhabited locality in the surrounding area according to recent research by "New Age" scientists. The significance of this town is due to its positioning on the crossroads of the Earth's energetic meridians that is on the so called "Dragon's furrow". These meridians emanate positive Earth life energy into their surroundings and in places where these "furrows" intersect, as in the case of Motovun, strong sources of positive energy appear, they are the "breathing orifices" of the planet Earth. Such energy fields have a relaxing and calming effect on man, increasing his concentration and spirituality, offering rest and rejuvenation, are conducive to meditation and generate creativity and tolerance. This may be the reason why there are so many gatherings and social events attended by people from all over the world in Motovun.