Parenzana Cycle Track, also known as the "Road of Health and Friendship", is a journey of about 120 km that connects Trieste to Poreč, Croatia. The bi
The best way to avoid road traffic in the first section is to start directly from Muggia, the last municipality Italian before the border. From Trieste you can reach in just a few minutes by car or by ferry, but the latter is certainly the most impressive option and we advise it to you.
Leave Muggia to enter the Val Stagnon Nature Reserve, Slovenia’s most important wetland, and then you reach the small town of Koper. Just 15 km further south are the famous seaside resorts of Piran and Portoroz. You can take a stroll here and take advantage of the numerous cycling routes proposed by the local administration to discover the beauties of the Istrian hinterland. You can not miss the Parco Naturale delle Saline di Sicciole or the Savrini green hills where you can enjoy the culinary specialties of the area and the typical products of the historic towns of Istria.
Continuing south for about 40 km you cross the Slovenian border to enter Croatia. Two towns to visit are Padna (or Pedona), famous for the cultivation of chards, and Nova Vas (or Villanuova), renowned for garlic. If you come here 6th and 7th of July, you will find yourself in the middle of the Wine and Garlic Festival, a perfect opportunity to taste the local wines such as the Refosco and the Istrian Malvasia.
Still a few miles away you will arrive in Poreč, an ancient Roman town developed around its port. Poreč has incredible historical monuments and a remarkable artistic heritage. This is the case of the Euphrasian Basilica, a religious complex dating back to the fifth century and further expanded by the Byzantine Empire. The basilica was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.