Buje

Buje stands on a hill above the vineyards of north-western Istria and was known as the sentinel of Istria for the view from it - on a clear day the sight runs from the Adriatic across the Istrian interior to the Julian Alps behind. The old town is a Venetian core of stone lanes round the church of St Servulus, with the bell tower on the highest point and stretches of the old wall built into the houses. The surrounding district is one of the strongest wine areas in Istria, producing malvazija and teran, and a number of the producers around the town receive visitors by arrangement.

History

Traces of settlement around Buje go back to prehistory, and the town grew from a Roman and then Venetian settlement into a walled medieval town on its hill, the "sentinel of Istria" 10 kilometres inland. It belonged to the Republic of Venice from 1358 until 1797, when the Treaty of Campo Formio handed it to Austria; France took it after the Treaty of Schönbrunn in 1809, and the Congress of Vienna returned it to Austria in 1815. Part of the stone walls survives, and the central square is dominated by the baroque church of Our Lady of Mercy, from the 16th century, built on the foundations of a Roman temple (Wikipedia, Buje).

The main sights

• A view from sea to Alps - the reason for the sentinel name.
• A Venetian stone core - lanes around St Servulus and its tower.
• Wall stretches in the houses - the defences built into later building.
• Malvazija and teran country - the vineyards below the hill.

When to go

May to October, with the harvest in September. Half a day.

What to expect

The clear view is not a given - haze closes it for much of the summer. The old town is small and mostly residential. Wine visits need arranging in advance. Parking is below and the walk up is steep.

Nearby

Groznjan is south-east; Umag and the coast are west.

Key facts