Perfect Piran

Friday 11 September

Happy Campers - Fiesa, Piran.  Loving Slovenia

Our departure from Venice this morning was stress free and uncomplicated - vaporetto to Piazzale Rome, cappuccino and croissant, a ride on the "people mover"  - no, not a Tarago, but a kind of monorail that runs between P. Roma, the cruise terminal and Tronchetto - very handy.  We were soon heading east on  a  fine autostrada towards our destination, Piran, Slovenia.   The autostrada snakes its way across a flat, agricultural landscape and it is only when approaching the  border city of Trieste do the hills of Slovenia and the Istrian Peninsula appear.  A bit of a traffic jam for a while owing to an accident but soon we were circling Trieste - high in the hills with all-encompassing views of the city below. Tunnels, loopy interchanges and then we were in Slovenia and heading towards Koper/Capodistria (depends whether you are Slovenian or Italian).  The territory here has changed hands many times over the centuries.  We left the autostrada at Koper and took the road to Portoroz - a substantial resort town on the Adriatic.  Piran is a smaller and more charming town located on a pretty hilly peninsula just north of Portoroz.

The road to Fiesa, Slovenia

We were booked to stay in a hotel in a small bay at the edge of the town - chosen partly because it looked so pretty and had great reviews, and partly because it offered free, secure parking (the centre of Piran is traffic free which is not surprising as many of the streets are just stairways climbing the hills).  Our accommodation was a two bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the sea  - the hotel is literally steps away from the shore.  Wow!

View from our balcony, Hotel Fiesa

So, I am in love with Fiesa Bay - this is my dream location for a holiday house!  A small bay just 15 minutes slow walk along a coastal path from the centre of Piran.  Two small hotels - one at each end of the bay,  a huge grassy field bordering a small lake, a little market and a couple of cafes.  The sea is crystal clear and the views of the Gulf of Trieste are mesmerising.  The bay faces northwest - makes for some fantastic sunset viewing! Immediately behind the bay are steep green hills dotted with a few pretty houses and a couple of small apartment buildings.  They nestle into the lush vegetation - olives, cypress, and many European forest trees - uncertain of what they are.  With the sun shining and just the right number of people enjoying themselves, Fiesa Bay is just a dream place. Slovenia has just 29 kilometres of coastline - and rather gorgeous it is too, but I think Piran must be the jewel of the Slovenian seaside.
We quickly settled in to an afternoon of swimming, sunbathing and general indolence - an incredibly relaxing place after busy Venice.   Finally, armed with torches supplied by the hotel, we set off along the path to Piran town with the glow of the setting sun across the water.

Heading to Piran town centre for dinner - along the coastal path from Fiesa

  The path is level and easy, below the the cliffs, with a short climb at the end into the higher slopes of the town.  A cobblestone street leads down into Tartini Square, the main piazza of the town.  The square is large, encircled by quite grand pale stone buildings on most sides, and the yacht harbour on the seaward side.  Restaurants and shops line the square and a little market is open for business till late, most stalls selling local products - cheeses, olives, cured meats, honey, local salt, and lavender products.

Evening in Tartini Square

  We strolled around and then headed towards the marina.

Harbour front, Piran  as the sun goes down

  I stopped to buy some handmade soap at one of the stalls and we asked for a restaurant recommendation.  Following directions, we found ourselves on a long seafront promenade lined with restaurants - all doing a roaring trade.  The recommended one did not have a table for us so we picked another and it turned out to be just fine.  Delicious food - of course seafood dominates the menus here - but also there is a strong Italian influence.  My risotto was pretty awesome!  Such a balmy night and after a good walk back to the hotel by torchlight we were going to sleep very well.

Restaurant with a sunset view, Piran

Saturday morning, 12 September

As our next destination, Rovinj, Croatia is only a couple of hours away we decided to spend the morning in Piran - Jess and Stef were more than happy to sunbathe and swim at Fiesa and I walked into town to explore the charms of Piran

Fiesa Hotel, Jessica, and Swedish team games

.  Another glorious morning and Fiesa Bay was buzzing with activity - a large group of Swedish executives had arrived for a team building weekend - as you do! They were engaged in a variety of events, mostly water sport and it was fun to watch their competitive spirit,  hilarious lack of paddling skills and general bonhomie.

Path to Piran - almost at the church 

I left them to it and took the path to Piran, this time climbing the street to the church which overlooks the town and has magnificent views up the coast.  The rooftops of Piran are a uniform terrecotta and the multi-coloured houses line narrow streets, which on the hillsides are mostly stone stairways.

View over Piran's rooftops

  I was able to peek through iron gates into small gardens - fruit trees and vegetables featuring in abundance. It sure looks like the land of plenty!   A perfect Mediterranean climate.
Down in Tartini Square the market was in full swing and there were plenty of customers for all the cafes.  I strolled around the harbour which is lined with gorgeous tall thin houses in rainbow colours and poked about in some rather nice little shops

Piran - looking from the marina to Tartini Square

 Delightfully picturesque and laid back.  The local people I have encountered are very friendly and quietly charming. Feeling the need for coffee I sat on the terrace of a bright mustard coloured cafe at the harbour entrance and enjoyed the view and passing parade of  locals and holidaymakers.

Looking across the marina to my mustardy cafe

  Just around the corner on the promenade is a concrete sunbathing/ swimming area - very well patronised on this warm, sunny morning.  Sounds a bit grim to those of us accustomed to the sandy beaches of Australia, but has its own special charm and of course the sea is so clear and inviting in this part of the world.

Main seafront promenade Piran

  Mindful of the time I walked back to Fiesa to met Jess and Stefano for a cold drink before we set off on our journey into the hills of Croatia and ultimately to Rovinj.

Fiesa Bay from the coastal path

  I could certainly stay in this lovely place much longer! Just the right mix of pretty historic town, luscious scenery, quaint shops, great food, sunny weather and Mediterranean seaside charm.

Piran