The wall circuit
A kilometre with a 360-degree view over the Mirna valley.
Jernej Furman from Slovenia — CC BY 2.0 · Jernej Furman from Slovenia — CC BY 2.0 · Jernej Furman from Slovenia — CC BY 2.0 · Jernej Furman from Slovenia — CC BY 2.0
A walled town on an isolated hilltop 277 metres above the **Mirna valley**, and the best-known image of inland Istria. Its walls date from the Venetian period and the **circuit is complete**, so you can walk the whole way round — about a kilometre — with a 360-degree view over the valley, the vineyards and the Motovun forest below. That forest is the town''s second claim: **truffles**. The damp valley soil produces **white truffles** reckoned among the most valuable in the world, in season from September to January. In 1999 a truffle weighing **1.31 kilograms** was found here and entered the Guinness records as the largest white truffle ever recovered. Inside the walls are a single small square, a seventeenth-century church, a bell tower and streets running to no more than a few hundred metres — the whole town takes half an hour to cross. Note: **cars are not allowed inside the town**; parking is below and the climb is steep (about 15-20 minutes) or by shuttle bus.
A kilometre with a 360-degree view over the Mirna valley.
Among the world''s most valuable, in season September to January.
Morning mist fills the floor and the town floats over it.
Motovun, inland Istria — about 40 km north-east of Rovinj
The truffles here are real, but the market varies widely. First rule: **know the season**. **White** truffles are far dearer and are in season **September to January** only — anyone offering «fresh white truffle» in June is selling something else. **Black** is available most of the year, much cheaper, and a perfectly good choice. Second rule: **truffle oil in souvenir shops is almost always synthetic** — flavoured with a chemical compound rather than truffle; read the ingredients. Better to eat it in a restaurant in **Motovun**, **Livade** or **Buzet**, where it is shaved fresh in front of you over pasta or eggs. ⚠ There are also **truffle-hunting outings with dogs** run by local farmers, which is the most honest way to understand what you are buying.
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