Barbariga

Dzangir

5 years ago

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DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION

Barbariga is a tourist apartment complex on the south-west coast of Istria (44 ° 60′N; 13 ° 45′E). Between Rovinj (25 km) and Pula (20 km), both reachable in less than half an hour. Administratively it falls under the municipality of Vodnjan (10 km away), Istria County, Croatia. The settlement was named after the cape of the same name not far away. The complex has about 1500 apartments with a capacity of about 6000 people. However, less than 10 people live here all year round. The settlement was built in the 1980s. All apartments are white with a red roof made of Istrian brick. An individual apartment usually has an even smaller atrium. The view of the village from afar or while walking through the small streets is fascinating. In recent years, the settlement has expanded inland and has already merged with the settlement of Betiga. New apartments, villas, and family hotels with swimming pools were created here. There were also some ideas for building a resort and a golf course but it was never realized. Most of the owners come from Slovenia because the settlement was built by companies from there.

Barbariga is a quiet hamlet suitable for families and people who do not want the hustle and bustle and night partying and are nature lovers. There are many opportunities for walks among the pine trees along the roads, paths, or along the beach. There is also plenty of cyclists who can choose more or less busy routes to Bale, Pula, or inland. Of course, the primary activities here are water-related. You can find a lot of unspoiled nature here because, until Tito’s death, the area was protected due to the proximity of his residence in Brijuni. History buffs will also be able to visit remains from Roman times or fortresses from the time of the Austro-Hungarian rule.

In the hamlet, you have 2 shops, fruit stalls, bakeries, a couple of bars (I recommend Tropicana), a couple of restaurants (I recommend the tavern Lucky for fine dining and pizza place Tropicana for quick dining), reception (registration and tourist tax), a few stalls with souvenirs, ATM. For the post office and the bank, it is necessary to drive to Fažana.

HOW TO GET TO BARBARIGA

Since most people come from Slovenia, the options described here are how to get from Ljubljana, which is 200 km away. The fastest route is via Koper, the Dragonja border crossing, and the Istrian Y to Vodnjan. The route from Vodnjan is the fastest via Golubovo, which can be seen in the video below. You will need 2h 15min for the whole trip. The alternative is to go to the Sočerga border crossing and continue to Buzet. At Lupoglav, join the eastern branch of the Istrian Y and drive to Vodnjan. This route is 15 minutes long and pays off in times of big crowds. Another alternative would be Ilirska Bistrica, the Rupa border crossing, and the Istrian Y near Rijeka. This is an additional 15 minutes longer route and is worth it if huge traffic jams on the highway lower than Postojna. Rovinj is accessible by regional road through the village of Bale. We reach Pula via Peroj and Fažana.

HISTORY

This area was inhabited as early as antiquity (1st century AD), the settlement was called Cissa on the Cissana peninsula, which sank into the sea in the 8th century. The town was known for processing olive oil (tank for 6000 liters of oil), foundry, and fabric from sheep wool.

The most beautiful remains of the Roman villae rusticae with mosaics (Dragonera) can be found along the coast on the way to Peroj and on the west side of Betiga is the church of St. Agnes and the monastery of St. Andrew.

In the Middle Ages, this area was owned by the Venetian Barbarigo family after whom the cape was named, and later the settlement itself. At the end of the 19th century, the Habsburgs began to build a defensive line in this area, as protection for the Fažana Channel and the city of Pula. Today, north of the settlement of Stara Barbariga, we find 10 buildings from this period, which are abandoned and preserved to varying degrees.

BEACHES

The beach is along the entire coast and is mixed with pebbles and rocks. It starts with the beach Marič, which is closest to the reception. There’s Daniel’s place. From there, the main beach continues, which has an infrastructure as bar, shower, beach volleyball court, pedal boat rental. It continues to a nudist beach. Next is the peninsula where we find a pier with a bar. Typical for the whole coast is that there is easy access to the sea everywhere, and behind the beach, there is a grove of pine trees where we can retreat from the strong sun. So it is also suitable for children and the elderly.

SURROUNDINGS

The settlement is closest to Betiga (ZOO with deer, inns) in the inland, where the settlements are now merging. Along the coast to the north is the village of Stara Barbariga with a few houses and a restaurant. If we continue on the macadam path we come to Bale from where we can go to Rovinj. If we head south we will arrive at the settlement of Peroj, which has an interesting history and Orthodox inhabitants. This is followed by Fažana, a village where we will find all the infrastructure we need or port to Brijuni. The path continues to Pula, the largest settlement in Istria, where you can see the old part of town, the Arena, the fortress, and much more. The peninsula ends with Premantura and Cape Kamenjak.

Inland we can go to the church of St. Foška, which is said to have special healing power. In any case, the center of the municipality of Vodnjan is worth a visit. Here you can walk through the medieval streets, stop at the main square or see the church with the largest bell tower in Istria and a collection of relics, which also includes mummified saints. Everywhere you go you will be able to find local specialties such as olive oil, Malvasia,…

DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION

HOW TO GET TO BARBARIGA

HISTORY

BEACHES

SURROUNDINGS

LINKS