Wobbling Winos: Day 16 - Labin to Rovinj

Day 16. Labin to Rovinj. 56 km, 3:30.

We headed off later than usual as we had breakfast included in our accommodation for the night. They opened at 08:00 and it was well worth the wait as we had a hearty breakfast of eggs and ham to see us through to lunch time.

We set off in our winter gear with a long descent out of the town. The road was narrow and quite busy with trucks and buses, but we had no other option to get from Labin to Rovinj but on the 21 motorway.

Soon we descended into a beautiful valley and cycled along the Rasa River through cultivated farmland. What a surprise to see an Osprey preening itself in a tree along the way.

We had a moderate climb over a pass and then we descended to the turn off to Petehi which took us off the 21 motorway. This was a good idea as we hardly saw another vehicle for 20 km. This route took us through beautiful indigenous forests, along dry stone walls and agricultural lands to the beautiful village of Svetvincenat (try to pronounce that) where we stopped for coffee. It's grandiose Morosini-Grimani citadel with towers from the Renaissance era guards the town square. It is one of the most attractive Venetian villages from this period.

Next we passed through Kanfanar which was developed in the 17th century. A short 20 km along the road we arrived at the charming town of Rovinj which is the most Italian town in the most Italian part of Croatia. A really good day of cycling; touring at its best.

Rovinj is everything we were expecting it to be. Tall ancient houses line twisty streets where one gets lost while exploring.The old city is built on what was once an island and is now a peninsula.The Old Town peninsula is topped by the Church of St Euphemia, patron saint of Rovinj. It is said that the remains of this 4th century martyr were found floating off the coast here in a gigantic marble sarcophagus - believe that if you will. The bell tower has a weather vane in the shape of St Euphemia; the local fisherman decide on whether to go fishing or not depending on which way she is facing. When Euphemia is facing out to sea, it means the stiff, fresh Bora wind is blowing, bringing fair weather. If she is facing land, the humid Jugo will bring bad weather from the sea.