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Čitaj na hrvatskomThis page is also written in hrvatski.

Draguc

A single-street hilltop village with fresco cycles from 1529 and a long career as a film set.

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WhereIstria
Nearest cityBuzet about 12 km; Pazin about 20 km
Best seasonMay to September
Time to allowTwo hours
Getting thereMinor road off the Buzet to Cerovlje route; parking at the village entrance
EntryFree; the chapel is opened on request

Draguc is a ridge village of one long street ending at a small square, with a population in the dozens. Outside the walls is the chapel of St Roch, painted inside in 1529 by Anton of Kastav's successor Anton of Padova, whose cycle covers the walls with the life of Christ and a set of saints in a plain, direct Istrian style; a second chapel, St Elizeus, holds older work. The village's other claim is cinematic: its unaltered stone lanes have been used repeatedly as a location for films needing a village that looks like no particular century, and the locals have got used to crews.

What you actually see

  • A fresco cycle of 1529 - in the chapel of St Roch outside the walls.
  • Older painting in St Elizeus - the village's second chapel.
  • One street and a square - the whole village plan.
  • A recurring film location - stone lanes with nothing modern in them.

When to go

May to September; the chapels are opened by arrangement. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The chapels are normally locked and seeing the frescoes means finding the keyholder, which is easier in summer. There are almost no services in the village. The road in is narrow. It is very small.

Nearby

Buzet is north; Hum, the smallest town in the world, is close by.

What to pack for Draguc

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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