Post by Peter Ellis on Jan 9, 2012 15:49:57 GMT 1
For those interested in railways or, more likely, those interested in long walks or cycling routes the Parenzana is worth a mention.
The Parenzana was a narrow gauge railway that went from Porec to Trieste in the Austro-Hungarian days. After WW1, it came under Italian jurisdiction. It only lasted until 1935. In order to navigate Istria's hilly terrain it twisted and turned and in 1935 its 127km was taking far too long to traverse when trucks and buses could go by more direct routes and arrive very much more quickly.
Fuller details are available at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenzana
The Vizinada to Motovun and Livade to Groznjan sections were tidied up some years ago and provide walks with spectacular views. A walk along it last autumn provided a riot of colour with leaf colours rivalling anything in New England. Other sections are currently being cleared and I drove along some this morning. They are still very muddy, but will probably have crushed rock laid on them similar to the other sections.
If anyone likes the idea of cycling along them, the grades are very gentle and if you are really feeling lazy, get someone to drop you off at Groznjan. You can cycle downhill all the way to Livade
The Parenzana was a narrow gauge railway that went from Porec to Trieste in the Austro-Hungarian days. After WW1, it came under Italian jurisdiction. It only lasted until 1935. In order to navigate Istria's hilly terrain it twisted and turned and in 1935 its 127km was taking far too long to traverse when trucks and buses could go by more direct routes and arrive very much more quickly.
Fuller details are available at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenzana
The Vizinada to Motovun and Livade to Groznjan sections were tidied up some years ago and provide walks with spectacular views. A walk along it last autumn provided a riot of colour with leaf colours rivalling anything in New England. Other sections are currently being cleared and I drove along some this morning. They are still very muddy, but will probably have crushed rock laid on them similar to the other sections.
If anyone likes the idea of cycling along them, the grades are very gentle and if you are really feeling lazy, get someone to drop you off at Groznjan. You can cycle downhill all the way to Livade