Municipality of Vižinada – Wine, Trails and Istrian History

Vineyards and olive groves, trails through the Mirna area and cultural history shape the Municipality of Vižinada. The town of Vižinada lies on a hill at the southern edge of the Mirna River valley. From there, you can look out over the surrounding countryside, vineyards and olive groves. When choosing your holiday apartment, consider whether you would like to focus your stay on culinary experiences, walking or the historic townscape.

Wine Country and Istrian Pastries

At “Viva Vino”, landscape and food and wine experiences go hand in hand: the 10 km wine and food walk passes through the vineyards, olive groves, fields and woodland of Vižinada and includes five refreshment stations. The 6.9 km “SRCE VIŽINADE 504” walking trail also combines exercise with local produce. It passes through the southwestern part of the municipal area, through Bajkini and Crklada and through Vranje Selo. Along the way, visitors can stop by local winemakers and olive growers and sample their products.

Another culinary tradition is celebrated at the “Slatka Istra” festival, held every year on 14 August in the centre of Vižinada. It showcases traditional Istrian pastries such as fritula, kroštula, cukerančići, pandešpanj, povetica and pinca, along with several varieties of dry biscuits. If you would like to plan your stay around a specific event date, “Verši na šterni” also offers a fixed point in the calendar: the Čakavian poetry festival has been held regularly since 1993 on the second Saturday in June at the Battistella cistern. New, previously unpublished poems are recited there and collected in an anthology.

Walking Trails and Parenzana Routes

The trails offer a range of distances and destinations to help you plan your excursions. “The Trail of Scenic Views” starts at the southern entrance to the town, near the Church of St. John the Baptist. After 3.7 km, it reaches the small Church of St. Vital, dating from the 12th century, beside its cemetery. The trail passes through fertile fields, vineyards and olive groves near Crklada and Grubići. The circular “PRSTEN SVETOG TOME 503” trail offers a different perspective: it climbs to Sv. Tome, at 299 m; from there, you can see hills, hamlets, chapels, the Mirna Valley and the sea.

Cyclists can also choose from routes of different lengths. A 123 km cycling trail runs through Vižinada along the renovated Parenzana railway line. The “Vižinada family (103)” cycling route is 13 km long. It starts in Vižinada on the former Parenzana railway line and returns via the Parenzana. The Parenzana cycling marathon is held every year in mid-September; it is 46.7 km long, with the race section running between Ponte Porton and Vižinada. A walk of around 10 km is organised alongside it. The different route lengths make it easier to choose excursions that suit the interests of your travel group.

Historic Townscape and Cultural Discoveries

Several notable landmarks in the centre of Vižinada bear witness to the town’s history. A stone relief of the Lion of St. Mark, dating from the 15th century, has been preserved in the main square. The cistern there was completed in 1782 to a design by Simone Battistella, an architect from Rovinj, and built from local limestone. Beside the bell tower is a lapidarium containing five Roman inscriptions. The Old Fontik, also known as the “Lav” House, is the oldest surviving public secular building in the municipal area and dates from the 15th century.

The churches offer further insight into different eras and styles. The Church of St. John the Baptist, above the historic town centre, was built in the 13th century and is one of around ten double-apsed churches in Istria. In the Church of St. Barnabas in the town centre, frescoes depict a Christological cycle of scenes ranging from the birth of Christ to the Resurrection. They were discovered after the church was used to store props during the filming of the war film “Kelley’s Heroes”. On Božje Polje there is also a single-nave late Gothic church dating from the 15th century, with a star-shaped ribbed vault decorated with frescoes. On the feast of Vela Gospa, it remains a place of pilgrimage for the faithful from all over Istria.

Whether you prefer to explore trails through the cultural landscape, discover local pastries or focus on architecture and art history, these experiences can help guide your choice of where to stay in the municipality. When looking for a holiday apartment, it is worth deciding first what you would like to focus on, then choosing a suitable place as your base.

Places in the Municipality

For orientation within the municipality: Mekiši Kod Vižinade, Staniši, Filipi, Baldaši, Ferenci, Vrbani, Žudetići, Jadruhi, Lašići and Markovići.

For the wider travel overview: Istria County.