Holiday homes and apartments in Vrsar and Funtana area
The area of Vrsar and Funtana, two small fishing settlements on Istria’s west coast, with its archipelago of idyllic islands is situated between Poreč and the Lim Channel. This is the most indented part of the Istrian coast, with its numerous bays and small islands making it heaven for sailors who have a marina in both Funtana and Vrsar with many berths and supporting facilities. Those who haven’t sailed into Vrsar by their own vessel can enjoy the shore’s beauty from one of the many excursion boats in daytime as well as night-time panoramic trips from Vrsar over the Lim Channel to Rovinj or experience real fishing in a trawl-boat with lunch included based on barbecuing the caught fish.
From immemorial times Mediterranean seamen supplied themselves with drinking water from the spring on the shore after which Funtana got its name. In Roman times an aqueduct was built from this spring in Funtana to the outskirts of Poreč.
On top of the hill where Vrsar is situated are the remains of a prehistoric settlement surrounded by defensive walls, which was also the case in Roman times, when Vrsar became a significant early Christian centre. Erected on the site of a smaller and more modest Romanesque palace, the Bernardo Borisi Castle from the seventeenth century was a fort protected by a defensive wall with towers, where today the gallery of Edo Murtić, one of the most famous Croatian painters, can be found.
One of the main attractions of this area is Saint Romualdo’s Cave, a Benedictine monk who brought to Istria the teachings of a saint from Norcia, as well as a Benedictine church and convent on the north shore of the Lim Channel.
Today Vrsar and Funtana are modern tourist destinations that have preserved their rich tradition with special emphasis on food preparation culture, recognized by many generations as a special quality of this area. In addition to loyalty to the tradition of Istrian cuisine, spices and flavourings have been added, following the experiences of old cookbooks, today offering traditional meals prepared in a specific way. The always excellent Istrian prosciutto, along with pork loin and sausages, here have a different and special taste and smell, and fresh seafood and fish (which this area has plenty of) are another reason to return for another holiday in Vrsar and Funtana.