December 12, 2019 - The town of Rovinj is the first in Istria and among the first in Croatia to receive a spectacular 3D pedestrian crossing near the Juraj Dobrila Elementary School. 

Glas Istre reports that this additionally seeks to increase the safety of motorists, as well as the number of children and students in the area.

"In order to increase the safety of children in traffic, the city of Rovinj has invested in the construction of a new 3D pedestrian crossings at Juraj Dobrila Elementary School. It is a cleverly-designed optical illusion that catches the attention of drivers who will surely slow down after seeing a seemingly hovering zebra while entertaining pedestrians who have a 'sense of walking on air’,” said Rovinj Public Utilities Director Elvis Prenc.

Glas Istre

Many countries have already implemented these innovative 3D crossings, including India, Iceland, and cities in the US, Canada, England, China and Russia

Specifically, traffic experts have concluded that 3D pedestrian crossings can be a great tool to slow down traffic. Namely, a driver approaching a 3D pedestrian crossing is inclined to slow down more than it would in the case of a conventional pedestrian crossing.

According to the Westminster council, these optical illusion crossings have already proven to improve road safety.

"Trials of a similar scheme in New Delhi, India, are reported to show that average speeds where it was employed had dropped by as much as 40 per cent, from 30mph to 20mph,” reported the Westminster Council.

The concept originally comes from India, while Iceland is responsible for bringing the idea to Europe. DiverCityMag writes that although the effect is striking, 3D crossings can only work in one direction, so they can only be used in one-way streets. 

You can see how the 3D pedestrian crossings work in the video below.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

December 11, 2019 - The eleventh edition of the most influential guide to the world's top extra virgin olive oils, Flos Olei 2020, was officially promoted in Rome last week. Istrian olive oil was once again in the international spotlight. 

Namely, HRTurizam writes that Istria has once again been awarded the title of the highest-quality extra virgin olive oil region in the world, for the fifth consecutive time. This is especially important given the fact that the publication contains oils from around the world, that is, from 53 olive-growing countries. Better yet, Istrian olive oil makes up as much as 15 percent among the top 500 olive oils in the world.

Thus, in the new edition of this olive oil bible, 79 oils from the territory of Croatia are included, 77 of which are from Istria. There is also one oil listed from the island of Krk and one from Dalmatia. At the same time, most olive growers achieved better results than last year, which is proof of significant work on raising the quality and application of the latest scientific and technological developments in olive growing.

Such worldwide success certainly contributes to the branding of Croatia, and especially of Istria as a gastronomic destination, since extra virgin olive oil is a major food supplement and a staple of the Mediterranean diet, and is valued almost everywhere in the world for its organoleptic and medicinal properties.

"It sounds unreal and I would say pretentious, but for the fifth year in a row, Istria has been named the best olive oil region in the world. Since its first release in 2010, Istria has immediately taken on an important role and positioned itself as the second-best olive oil region, just behind Tuscany. But each year, Tuscany's advantage has diminished, and at the end of 2016, it has occupied the leading position it retained to this day, but with a far greater difference than Tuscany previously had compared to Istria. It’s enough to say that Istria has 77 listed olive oils this year, and Tuscany 53. Even more important is the fact that more than 1,500 samples from all over the world arrive for evaluation, that a professional panel of tested tasters organoleptically test all received samples, that afterward, the best 500 in the world are selected and that within the top 500 Istria has 77, which is truly impressive,” says Denis Ivošević, director of the Istria County Tourist Board.

Ivošević also touched on one important topic, which is that Croatia must start respecting themselves, as others would start recognizing Croatia, and pointed out that it is of utmost importance that Croatia become aware of the fact that in no discipline, in any industry, in sports or any other significant competition, or simply in places where reputation is gained and confirmed, does Croatia have such success as the Istrian olive oil region.

"We are very proud of this fact, but it seems that there is still a lot of work to be done both in our country and abroad, that this primacy bears full and true value, that we become aware of it first in Croatia, and that all those who promote Croatian gastronomy proudly point it out. I believe that the time has come and that five years of validation is proof enough to make us aware that we are in the best of something in the world,” concluded Ivošević.

You can find the Flos Olei 2020 guide here. 

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As Glas Istre/Cristian Bruno Galic writes on the 7th of December, 2019, the training for the Europe goes local project was attended by representatives of seventeen local and regional self-government units, who, with examples of good practice, had to draw up an individual plan for youth work, which would improve relations between youth and local city governments.

As part of the project "Europe Goes Local - Representatives of the youth at the local level", representatives of the Istrian cities of Poreč and Pazin, as well as the Istrian Municipality of Medulin and the Pula Association "ZUM" participated in the second cycle of training of local and regional self-government units, which was held in Marija Bistrica. Europe goes local's aim is to empower local and regional self-government units to create an enabling environment for the development of youth work at the more intimate, local level.

The participants from the aforementioned areas of Istria also attended the final conference of the project "Take the money and do something for the youth: A participatory budget for the active participation of youth in the local community" which was held in Zabok.

There are numerous examples of how cities and municipalities influence the improvement of young people's living conditions - some through support for youth organisations and some through activities carried out on their own.

The EGL project is currently one of Europe's largest projects in the field of youth work and is implemented by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programs in cooperation with the partner National agencies in Europe for the Erasmus + program.

The Europe goes local project initiated long-term cooperation with the aim of improving the quality of work with young people, in particular by strengthening cooperation between different stakeholders in the field.

Pazin was represented by Anton Finderle, Poreč was represented by Ena Beaković and Lea Štifanić, the Municipality of Medulin was represented by Suzana Racan Stern and Ana Žufić, and the ZUM Association from Pula was represented by Aleksandra Lera, all of whom received certificates of non-formal learning in the field of youth (Youthpass) at the end.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and politics pages for much more.

December 8, 2019 - A superb evening was held at the exclusive Harry’s Bar in London in cooperation with the Istria Tourist Board to celebrate the Istrian white truffle.

While it was no easy task to impress several of the finest London gourmands, they were enchanted by the Istrian feast, the most exquisite white truffles, excellent wines and, of course, Istrian extra-virgin olive oil. In the end, it was a fantastic night for all.

Glas Istre writes that the Chairman of Sotheby's UK auction Lord Harry Dalmeny revealed that more than £18,000 was raised for three charities from the evening, and not only was this an exclusive promotion of Istria in London, but a significant breakthrough for the tourist boards and the counties of Istria.

All the proceeds from the auction (£18,300) will go to charity. The Veruda Day Care Center for Rehabilitation in Pula was selected on the Croatian side, which will receive a sum of £12,100. In addition to the amounts auctioned in three auction rounds - six small truffles were sold for £2,800, one medium and one small for £2,600, and a two-day truffle experience package in Istria for £3,500. Furthermore, an anonymous London millionaire donated an extra £3,200 to the famous Veruda Center.

From the UK institutions, donations will go to The Felix Project, which supplies fresh and nutritious food to more than 300 London-based charities, providing 6.5 million meals a year, and to Chain of Hope, which provides life-saving heart treatments.

“Having the president of Sotheby's as an Istrian truffle auctioneer is a great honor for us. We managed to join one of the most luxurious private clubs, Harry's Bar, Sotheby's, as the world's largest auction house and the Istrian truffle, as one of the best truffles in the world. We don't just have time to promote ourselves through classic communication models because then it would take ten years. We take the shortcut, straight to the strongest, so that we shorten the journey towards promoting and raising the reputation of the Istrian destination. If this is the opening tonight, then the closing will be next year with the ATP Master Series, the tennis spectacle at the Arena. Both events really guarantee that we are clearly targeting higher spending power audiences, with tennis that originated in England and is widespread in our country, and with truffles known around the world as the culmination of gastronomy,” said Denis Ivošević, director of the Istria Tourist Board.

As for the "conquest" of the British market, these two major events were preceded by a series of other actions. In the last three to four years, Ivošević points out, they have significantly increased air arrivals to Istria, from virtually all London airports, except City. From all five other airports, five different airlines fly to Pula, from national carrier British Airways flying from Heathrow to EasyJet from Gatwick and Southend, Ryanair from Stansted, TUI UK and Jet2.com from Gatwick. When they secured the flights, two years ago, the Istria Tourist Board contracted a collaboration with the London-based PR agency Fox Communication, and for two years in a row, much has been written about Istria, with a focus on London and its surroundings.

The Istria truffle was also the star of the dinner at Harry's Bar, which was enjoyed by about 70 guests. Under the expert guidance of Italian restaurant manager Luciano Porcu, paired with Kozlovic's Teran and Malvasia and Chiavalon extra virgin oil, scallops, homemade tagliolini, and veal piccata were served, and finally toasted panettone, chocolate sorbet and zabaglione. With these top delicacies and the spirited Lord Dalmeny, the truffle auction began, which were brought to London by representatives of Zigante Truffles. The star of the evening, the biggest truffle of the season in Istria, weighing 375 grams, went to an anonymous London buyer for £3,800.

“To me, this is really fantastic, something different that we haven't seen yet. Such events, with auctions, really target a specific group, deep-pocket guests. The Istrian County Tourist Board has managed to combine a lot of things, including gastronomy, selected clientele and humanitarian actions. The engagement of Sotheby's has definitely raised the level of the whole event, and if someone wants to target such an audience, a little more sophisticated, richer, with more refined taste, then this is definitely the right approach. Istria is recognized as a gastronomic destination, among others. The British appreciate our cuisine and we want to talk more about it. We see great potential for the growing interest in Istria on the British market,” said Darija Reić, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board representative office in London, and also a guest at the Istrian dinner.

Croatia, says Reić, is yet to be discovered, especially by the upper classes of British society. After Dubrovnik and Split-Dalmatia County, especially the islands, Istria is the third most sought after destination by Brits. They are guests for the pre and post-season since they prefer nautical, active and gastronomic tourism, and in recent years, Advent trips have become more and more popular, as have Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Split, as increasingly popular destinations for British tourists in the winter.

“Despite Brexit, this year we had an increase of 4% in tourist traffic from Britain. What Brexit brings is still a big unknown, more may be known after the December 12 election, but the British love to travel and won't give up on it. It was agreed that British airlines and tour operators would be able to travel and fly within the EU by the end of 2020 under the same conditions. So in the year ahead, there are no major changes, and what will matter is the strength of their currency, which is related to Brexit, and I think they will turn to more countries that do not have the euro, which Croatia should use,” Reić explained.

Denis Ivošević spoke about his strategy to return Istria to the British market.

“The last time a similar event took place was more than twelve years ago when Italian truffles from Alba were auctioned. This fact is not surprising given that most good restaurants are held by Italian managers, chefs, entrepreneurs. How ubiquitous and strong the Italian brand is can be seen every step of the way in London, so we are at the beginning. We have a long way to go; we have to be persistent and ubiquitous,” Ivošević concluded.

You can read the full piece here. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

December 4, 2019 - It has been 88 years since scientist Massimo Sella discovered the capital of truffles in the heart of Buzet.

And thanks to his diary and records, the history of Istrian truffles and Buzet as a truffle town is written, reports Glas Istre.

"Just 220 meters from the Albergo alla Fontana Hotel, between December 9 and 11, 1931, a half-kilo truffle was found. This is the center of truffles today! Thanks to the record of Istrian scientist Massimo Sella from Rovinj, an avid photographer and nature lover, there are clues to the history of Istrian truffles, as well as the history of Buzet as a truffle town. When the councilors declared it a truffle town 20 years ago on the eve of Subotina in September, it was because of tourism branding, and we have a historical stronghold that this is the case. Buzet justifiably bears the name of truffle town,” says Buzet native Robert Marusic.

Marusic is from a truffle family traditionally engaged in the truffle hunt in Sovišće, and actively involved in the promotion of Buzet as the town of truffles.

Massimo Sella was born in 1886 in Biella. He completed his natural sciences in Rome to become director of the Rovinj Institute for Marine Research in 1924, where he left behind an extensive archive. Today, a special foundation takes care of this. What is especially important for the Istrian truffle zone is that Sella determined the development cycle of the Istrian white truffle, an expensive underground fungus of the Latin name Tuber magnatum pico and marked the sites of Istrian truffles.

“Sella, with friends, including Clara Ida Countess Barbara Elisabeth, daughter of Johann George Hutterotta, the owner of St. Andrew island in Rovinj, today's Red Island, and truffle adventurers Carlo Testoni and Pietro Giovannelli, both from Pula, but a native of the Emilie region, stayed in the northern Istria region from December 9 to 11, 1931, and recorded something of great importance. Not far from the Fontana Hotel in Buzet, they pulled out a half-kilo heavy white truffle with the help of a lagotto dog, one named Dora. They later founded a truffle trade and export company in Livade, but that's another story. The subject is Buzet here,” Marusic says.

Marusic says he had heard about Sella's truffle discovery in Buzet before, and when looking for a photo of said truffle, the director of the Istria County Tourist Board, Denis Ivosevic, recommended that he go to Rovinj, where documentation about Massimo Sella and his works should be stored. Through Mirko Cetinski, he contacted the Rovinj Museum, in which the Sella Family Foundation set up an exhibition of photographs titled "Massimo Sella (1886-1959), Other Countries, the Second Sea”, a retrospective of valuable photo records of Rovinj, back in 2016. Tajana Ujcic gave him the contact address of the Sella Foundation in Italy, which operates under the name "Testimonianze per Massimo Sella". The Sella family today inherits the work of Massimo Sella.

“Through her assistant, Ellene Gallo, his daughter Selina Sella-Marsoni informed me that she was very pleased with my interest in the historical position of Buzet on the topic of Istrian truffle production and that she would relay to her coworkers to view the large archive Sella had left to her successors. She approved the submission of documentation that could assist me in my search. So I studied various records that, normally, given Massimo Sella's status, are more research-scientific than travel-tourism. We could not find a photo of this truffle, but Gallo sent me a copy of a key document entitled "Il truffle bianco in Istria" by Professor Massimo Sella, Istituto italo-germanico di Biologia marina di Rovigno d 'Istria. It was published by the Italian publisher Societa botanica Italiana, in Florence in 1932, and in the new botanical Italian magazine printed by Tipografia Mariano Ricci also from Florence,” Marusic concludes. 

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December 3, 2019 - Istrian wines have ended the year on a high and once again picked up the most Croatian medals in the autumn wine judging round at the prestigious International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London. 

Moreover, Glas Istre writes that of the 40 awards received by Croatian wines in total, the only gold medal was won by the 2018 Graševina from Ilok Cellars. Still, in all other awards, Istrian wines lead over the rest of Croatia. Istrian winemakers thus received four silver medals (other Croatian wineries - 3), 11 bronze medals (other Croatian wineries - 5) and nine recommendations, respectively "commended" (other Croatian wineries - 7), totaling 24 awards for Istrian wines, and 16 for wines from all other Croatian regions.

The silver medals were thus awarded to Benvenuti teran Anno Domini 2016, Fakin malvasia La Prima 2017, Veralda malvasia Ambra 2017, and Degrassi cuvee blanc Terre bianche riserva 2015 (malvasia, sauvignon blanc and viognier). Bronze medals were awarded to Benvenuti malvasia Anno Domini 2017, Benvenuti malvasia 2018, Bertoša malvasia 2018, Giulio Ferenac malvasia 2018, Valenta sauvignon blanc 2018, Fakin teran 2018, Veralda malvasia Xtriana 2018, Vina Laguna Castello Festigia 2016 (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah), Vina Laguna malvasia riserva Vizinada 2015, Vina Laguna malvasia riserva Vizinada 2016 and Veralda Xtrian Brut 2016 (Teran sparkling wine).

The ‘commended’ labels, which is a kind of consolation prize for those who came close to medals, were awarded to Agris Malvasia 2018, Deklić Familia 2015 (teran, merlot and cabernet sauvignon), Deklić Familia 2016 (teran, merlot and cabernet sauvignon) , Franković malvasia 2018, Lunika pinot sivi Makiništa 2018, Vina Laguna riserva LV 2015 (teran, merlot, cabernet sauvignon), Vina Laguna Castellblanc Festigia 2018. (malvasia, chardonnay, viognier), Vina Laguna cabernet sauvignon Festigia 2016, and Degrassi Terre bianche cuvee rouge riserva 2008 (merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon).

The International Wine Challenge, which was held from November 11 to 15, saw more than 200 of the world’s top wine experts from 23 countries sample and judge thousands of wines from around the world. The results were published on November 28, 2019. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

November 24, 2019 - Zavrsje, where Otto Bathurst directed Robin Hood in the spring of 2017, was nominated for Best European Film Location. Ten European cities, regions, and countries have been nominated for the award in total.

HRTurizam reports that the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN), in collaboration with the Cineuropa Film Portal, is selecting the best European film location in the film and TV industry for the third time.

In the first phase of the competition, each EUFCN member nominated one location from their region, that is, the country used in the movie, TV series, or documentary released between January 2018 and July 2019.

Among the ten shortlisted locations is the Istrian town of Zavrsje - Piemonte d'Istria, a candidate of the Istrian Film Commission - Istria Film Commission, which is responsible for promoting Istria as a film destination within the Istrian Cultural Agency.

Otto Bathurst directs the nominated film and Joby Harrold authors the script. The lead roles are interpreted by Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Eve Hewson, Jamie Dornan, Ben Mendelsohn, Paul Anderson and Tim Minchin.

For Robin Hood, over 670 film employees worked in Croatia, 273 of them Croatian, with almost 1,650 extras. The recording was executed through the incentive measures of HAVC - Croatian Audiovisual Center, and over the 15 days of filming, the total local consumption was at the level of the largest projects recorded so far in Croatia.

Much of the action took place in Dubrovnik, which embodied Nottingham. After Dubrovnik, the film crew moved to Istria, more precisely Zavrsje, one of the best-preserved examples of medieval architecture in the interior of Istria.

Zavrsje, in the Groznjan municipality, plays Loxley, Robin's hometown, and the Parenzana Bridge connects Nottingham and Loxley in the film. Robin Hood arrives at the hearth of his hometown, where he decides to wage a fight against the notorious sheriff of Nottingham on the ruins of his home. Impressive action scenes were filmed in the area.

The film was released in the USA on November 21st and hit Croatian cinemas on November 29th, thanks to Blitz Film & Video Distribution.

In addition to Zavrsje, the other nominated cities are Athens (Greece) in the series The Little Drummer Girl, Vilnius (Lithuania) for the series Chernobyl, Delphi Theater in Germany, where the series Babylon Berlin was filmed, Dorfuli (Northern Macedonia) for the documentary Honeyland, El Hierro in Spain for Hierro,  Luggala (Ireland) in the Vikings series, Lviv in Ukraine for the Eva.Stories by Mati Kochavi project, Italian Rocca Guidonesca di Rocchettine in the series Il Nome della Rosa, and Brussels (Belgium) in the miniseries Les Miserables.

Now, it is up to the audience to choose the best filming location from these ten nominees. Please note that one e-mail address is valid for one vote, which must be confirmed by a link sent to the voter's e-mail inbox. 

You can cast your vote by December 30, 2019, HERE.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

November 22, 2019 - The Istria County Tourist Board, in cooperation with the world-renowned auction house Sotheby's, is organizing the first-ever auction of the Istrian white truffle in London on Monday, November 25. 

Glas Istre writes that the event will be held at the prestigious Harry's Bar in Mayfair, an elite area of London's West End, one of the most exclusive private clubs featuring members of the London elite, international jet setters and UHNW individuals (ultra-high-net-worth individuals).

The Istria County Tourist Board will organize the auction in cooperation with the world-famous auction house, led by its chairman for the UK, Lord Dalmney, and with the support of the FOX Communication PR agency in London. During the auction, guests will have the opportunity to enjoy dinner based on the Istrian white truffle, and extra virgin olive oils and wines from Istria.

Zigante Truffles from Plovanija near Buje is also involved in this vital project for Istria. Namely, Zigante will provide the main ingredients for the auction and Istrian dinner. The auction will be conducted in four parts, and will be intended for both guests present and interested who will bid by phone.

In the first part, truffles of smaller sizes will be auctioned, and in the second part, medium-sized truffles, followed by the "Truffle Experience in Istria” package. In the end, the biggest truffle of the season will be auctioned, which resulted in a sold-out dinner and a long waiting list of truffle-hopefuls. Better yet, all proceeds from the auction will go to charity.

In addition to Istrian white truffles, Istrian extra virgin olive oils from the Chiavalon family will be served with truffle-based specialties. They will also be available at Harry's Bar tables for all guests to taste. 

Along with extra virgin olive oils, the attendees will be served wines from the Kozlovic family of Momjan - the Malvasia, Teran and Momjan Muscat.

“Istria has given increasing importance to the UK market, where many promotional efforts have been made over the years, increasing the number of UK guests, intensifying existing ones, and opening new routes - especially in the pre- and post-season. Also, since last year, the Istria County Tourist Board has been working with the London-based PR agency, FOX Communication, so that Istria becomes more and more present in the media and events there, which is why the region is seeing an increasing growth of British guests.

The Istria County Tourist Board is working intensively to make the region more famous in London and its surroundings, with a focus on medium- and high-spending power guests. Thus, the truffle auction is listed as one of the activities that will help build the image and reputation of Istria as a destination. I believe that this auction will contribute to the affirmation of the Istrian brand," said Istria County Tourist Board Director Denis Ivošević, adding that Istria is most commonly recognized worldwide for its gastronomy and lifestyle.

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Diving tourism in Istria resulted in 200,000 overnight stays and has become a strong motivator for visiting the peninsula.

According to Barbara Ban/Novac/JutarnjiList on November 14, 2019; as many as 200,000 overnight stays were recorded this year in Istria by tourists who came for one reason: diving. This number was reported at a meeting of the Diving Tourism Professionals Group at Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Pula on Wednesday. However, this figure does not include the number of day visits, which is very high during diving season, which lasts about six months.

- There are numerous diving centers operating throughout the year. Diving is a strong motivator for tourists who prefer a more unique vacation, so diving centers are also recognized as an important factor in the development of tourism in the County of Istria. Therefore, as the group pointed out at the Chamber of Commerce in Pula; it is important to cooperate with the local community, and network with other providers of tourism. By working together, they can create the highest quality destination service which meet the needs of guests in every segments of their stay.

This year, permits have also been granted for performing underwater activities in inland waters and territorial seas in areas where cultural assets are located, based on a public report issued by the Ministry of Culture.

- Diving centers are pleased with the cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and they have a mutual interest preserving the underwater cultural heritage of the Adriatic. Diving centers play an important role in the conservation of the undersea and ecology. After diving, divers often return with the waste they have collected offshore, says Marko Srečec, president of the Diving Tourism Professionals Group.

For this purpose, the group has launched an initiative with municipalities and cities for cooperation in the field of ecology and marine conservation.

- During the coming year, the group plans, among other things, to organize guest lectures at colleges and high schools in order to promote diving tourism as a profession and present activities to as many potentially interested young people who could find employment in diving centers, concluded Srečec.

For more information on tourism in Croatia, follow our travel section. More information about diving in Istria can be found here.

Pula is a destination that is gradually building its touristic value outside of the old and rather self-limiting ''sunshine and sea'' label, which is unfortunately something Croatia has bought far too much into and is now struggling to promote the depth of what it has to offer, from gastro tourism to sustainable tourism, this country has a lot to offer and Pula's efforts in terms of culture and creative potential have just recently been recognised by the European Commission (EC).

Istria in general is a destination that seems to grasp what being sustainable really means. Far from basing its entire offer on the sunshine and the glorious Adriatic sea, this region of Croatia is known for its wine, its food, its beautiful landscapes which for many are reminiscent of nearby Italy, on top of everything else that Croatia has to offer to foreign visitors. Sport, however, could potentially be yet another acheivement, and Istria could add this to its proverbial portfolio.

As Glas Istre/Chiara Bilic writes on the 4th of November, 2019, a new contract between Pula Airport and the popular British low-cost airline Easyjet has now been signed at the Tourism Fair in London, UK. Under that contract, three new lines should operate from the United Kingdom to the Istrian city of Pula.

The director of Pula Airport, Svemir Radmilo, said that back in 2015, 15,000 passengers arrived in the city with Easyjet, and this year that number increased to 150,000, which is no small feat and confirm's both Pula and Istria's popularity among Northern European tourists.

The good news for Pula is the possibility of holding a top tennis spectacle at the beautiful Pula Arena, which was announced by the director of Istria's Tourist Board, Denis Ivošević.

"We have spoken with Wimbledon with the aim of creating a two-day tournament in which tennis legends would participate," Ivošević said, seemingly not giving much away, but the news is encouraging for Istria as a whole.

Make sure to follow our dedicated sport and travel pages for much more.