Description

Fažana is a small fishing town on the Istrian coast, facing the Brijuni Islands across a narrow channel. Its colourful stone houses and cobbled lanes gather around the waterfront, where fishing boats still unload their catch and the day starts with a coffee by the sea. The film director Pier Paolo Pasolini called it “a charming little town”, and it is easy to see why.

The history goes back a long way. In Roman times Fažana was known across the Empire for its amphorae, the clay jars used to ship olive oil and wine. The medieval churches still stand in the old town, among them the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, just one metre above sea level, the lowest-lying church in Istria. Look out for La Rondinella, once the town’s narrowest street, said to be so tight that only swallows could fly through it.

At the end of the 19th century the Marinkovich family turned Fažana into a popular holiday spot, and the town has welcomed visitors ever since.

Fažana is the town of the pilchard. Every restaurant has its own way of preparing it: salted, marinated, fried or grilled, best enjoyed with a glass of Malvasia or Teran and local olive oil.

Walk the seaside promenade in the shade of pines and olive trees, and stay for the sunset. Anywhere along the waterfront is good, but the breakwater is the best seat in town.

Fažana is also the gateway to Brijuni National Park, with national park boats leaving from the centre of town, and to the nearby islet of Sv. Jerolim.