The Romans knew what they were doing when they christened Istria Terra Magica. The Istrian peninsula, on the northern coast of the Adriatic, remains a marvellous palette of red, grey and white soil, the perfect terroir for award-winning wines and olive oils, cultivated since the time of Augustus.
Today, this signature local produce has manifold uses beyond the kitchen. World-class, award-winning olive oils are renowned as much for their nutritional and healing attributes as for their quality, while truffles are revered for their aphrodisiac properties.
Medieval legacy
Istria’s natural heritage is not confined to cultivation alone. There’s just as much activity below the surface as is being harvested around it. Beneath Istria, an underground karst world reverberates, and not only with the rushing waters of its subterranean rivers. Three ley lines, energy streams that circle the Earth, beam positive energy, inspiring scientists in medieval times.
Here, the 14th-century Italian physician and alchemist Pietro Bono partly researched his seminal work, Pretiosa margarita novella, written in 1330. Printed and reprinted across Europe 200 years later, this alchemical and mystical treatise had a huge influence on the Renaissance, dovetailing the divine and supernatural with the wonders of the natural world Bono had discovered around Istria.
A century later, alchemist Daniel Istranin, also referred to as Daniele di Bernardo del Pozzo da Capodistria, worked in a similar field in his native Istria, seeking the philosopher’s stone. In more esoteric terms, this was a quest for the elixir of life through alchemy. Although Istranin would fail in his pursuit, scientists would refer to his texts for many years afterwards.
The name of the region, Istra to Croatians, lived on in association with Istranin’s legacy. Istria was, for those wishing to discover it, a Terra Magica.
Nature's bounty
As well as their picturesque locations in what is considered Croatia’s Tuscany, healthy retreats across Istria take best advantage of the natural resources around them. On spa menus across the peninsula, you’ll find natural ingredients sourced locally: spring water, salt, seaweed and natural herbs. But don't be surprised if you also see olive oil, beer and rakija, the local herbal grappa. These tantalising treatments are inspired by the plants, herbs and cultural heritage of the region.
Olives, for example, are harvested early in Istria to ensure that the oil is high in polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that promote good health and nourish the skin.
In the coastal resort of Rovinj, an epic two-hour treatment involves high-quality extra-virgin olive oil as the main ingredient for an innovative wellness treatment, which begins with a drink of olive-infused rakija. What follows is a vigorous olive-oil massage designed to be reminiscent of the olive-pressing process. Next, a full body scrub uses a cream of crushed olive pulp. Then, warm oil is then drizzled on your head to stimulate the pituitary gland, followed by a head massage and a quiet cup of olive-leaf tea served in the relaxation area.
Then there’s the delicate yellow flowers of St John’s Wort, foraged in spring and infused with olive oil to create the bright-red oil used as a traditional medicine and a popular remedy in Istrian households. An anti-inflammatory, it treats cuts and burns but is also known as a mood enhancer. Expert spa staff use it as part of the deep-tissue massage, a therapeutic body treatment to relieve muscle pain and reduce inflammation.
A stay in Rovinj can be combined with outdoor activities such as sailing, horse riding, diving and kayaking.
In Motovun, in the heart of Istria, another centre offers wine therapy. Istria’s signature product is chock full of polyphenols that have an anti-oxidant effect, while the fatty acids in grape seeds are excellent at restoring elasticity to the skin. A 60-minute facial wine therapy will have you glowing. For something more extensive, there’s the body scrub and mask treatment, rounded off by a massage with grape-seed oil. The ultimate indulgence is the wine bath, promising a revitalising and stimulating effect.
Istria’s main city of Pula is developing the concept of hyperbaric medicine, a specific field that deals with the treatment of illnesses with the use of oxygen. This is a pleasant and painless process based on the inhaling of hyperbaric oxygen at an elevated pressure in hyperbaric chambers, vital in providing help to divers, as well as in the treatment of open wounds and a whole range of illnesses caused by a lack of oxygen.
This article is sponsored by The Croatian National Tourist Board: 'Croatia Full of Life'.
