Istria is that shield-shaped peninsula jutting out into the Adriatic up near the top of that long sea. Not only does it have its own warm, benign climate, but it has its own ambiance, due no doubt to its long occupation by Venice. Every hill-top is crowned by a charming fortified town that does not appear to have changed since mediaeval times. The coastline is ringed by beautiful, blue, warm sea, rocky vistas and fortified islands.
There are Byzantine churches with fabulous gold mosaics, holiday resorts crammed with sun-burned bodies, quiet restaurants where you can enjoy local delicacies and be the only customers, and ruined cities such as the pirate-haunted ruins of Dvigrad or the ones that are the subject of our first film: Nesactium.