Groznjan

Grožnjan is a small medieval town perched on a hill in the interior of Istria, above the Mirna valley, and over the last seventy years it has transformed from a near-abandoned village into one of the most distinctive art colonies in Croatia. Its stone houses now hold dozens of galleries, studios and summer music events, and the whole town is given over to that life.

The transformation began in the 1960s, when the town, depopulated by emigration, was offered to artists and cultural associations, who gradually restored the houses and turned the settlement into a centre for visual arts and jazz. The International Cultural Centre of the Croatian Musical Youth is based here, and the summer jazz festival fills the squares.

Grožnjan sits on its hill above terraced country, with views over the Mirna valley to Motovun and the interior. Its streets are narrow and steep, a single loop of stone around the main square and the church, and the galleries spill out onto the lanes.

For photographers, the stone lanes and the view over the valley are the shots, best in soft light and out of the peak hours when the galleries are busy. Pair it with Motovun and the other hill towns of inland Istria for a proper interior day.

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