Come to Oprtalj in the heart of Istria, Croatia, and discover this lovely villa full of character and charm. Situated along the outer wall of a medieval Venetian village, Palazzo Portole is more home than hotel; a self-catering villa, spacious and comfortable, where you’ll find everything you need for a perfect holiday. Coming in through the baroque main gate, you enter a private garden, with the house in front, the swimming pool at the west end, a loggia-terrace at the other end; a space of your own, part of the village, but set a little apart from it. Climbing the front steps and entering the house, you find yourself in a long living room, an open fireplace at the far end, with windows facing south, towards the village, north and west, overlooking the pool; a great place to relax in the heat of the summer, or even perhaps the mountain chill of winter. Flatscreen TV with Chromecast. The main staircase takes you up to the first floor, where you’ll find four bedrooms. A big double bedroom with en suite bathroom, a smaller twin bedroom, also with en suite, and the large master bedroom, with a big, iron-framed four-poster bed and a view to the front garden and into the heart of the village. A long bathroom connects to the third floor of the medieval tower attached to the east end of the main house, the oldest part of the house, where you’ll find another spacious twin bedroom. All twin beds in the house kan be pushed together to make a double bed. A spiral staircase climbs up to the roof terrace on top of the tower, which has a stunning 360 degree view that stretches from the Adriatic Sea, Italy and Slovenia to the west and north, to the mountains of central Istria to the east. On the south side, the terrace looks over the roofs of the village to the church and its bell tower. It’s a perfect place for an evening drink, or perhaps a morning coffee, or to sit at night and admire some of the clearest stars you’ll ever see. Going back down through the bedroom, and on down the spiral staircase to the floor below, you find yourself in a comfortable little sitting room with a well-stocked library, a TV with Chromecast and DVD player. The outer door takes you to stairs down to the outdoor eating area – or ‘loggia’ – with a stone barbecue and a long, beautifully tiled table under a sheltering roof. On through the library is the kitchen, the heart of the house. All the appliances, utensils, crockery etc you could ask for, a table that easily sits ten and even an open fireplace in one corner. The windows looking south and north and east and the big double doors back into the main hall and living room make the kitchen a wonderfully light and airy room, a perfect place to sit for long meals in the heat of the day, or the cool of the evening. And there’s more. Down in the basement you’ll find a washroom with washing and drying machines, cupboards with fresh sheets, towels and swimming towels and another big bathroom and toilet. Then, going on through to the bottom of the medieval tower, there’s another bedroom with three beds, two beds up on a mezzanine floor, one single bed below with space to spread out in a studio like environment. The room has accesss its own little east-facing terrace with double doors. A perfect space for the little family. The back door of the basement opens onto a back garden, a long terrace running the length of the main house, shaded under grapevines and roses, plum and cherry trees in the main garden. There’s so much more to say about Palazzo Portole than just talking about what it looks like, though. We could boast that there’s a legend that Napoleon spent a night here, when he was in this part of the world in 1805 – not impossible, as it’s the grandest house in the village. We could say that the little medieval village is one of the gems of Istria, with interesting little shops, a kids’ play area, a couple of good restaurant-bars, a wine bar, wine-tastings, an ATM and a village shop with a decent stock of necessities. We could talk about Livade, five kilometres down the mountain, which is the heart of white and black truffle country in Istria, where there’s a statue commemorating the biggest white truffle ever found, close to the village. There’s also a Michelin star restaurant in Livade. Or the famous mountaintop town of Motovun, ten kilometres away, known for its annual film festival. We could say that the sea is only half an hour away. We might mention that the local wines are pretty decent, and the beer is great. Or we could just say that this is a gorgeous house to spend your holiday in, with a pool, for up to ten people, in a part of the world you may never have heard of before, but you’ll never forget. Other attractions and activities. ­- The town of Porec is on the coast forty minutes away, with open air markets by the harbour, marble-paved streets and medieval as well as Roman remains. Also daily return ferries to Venice. - Pula, an hour and a quarter away, has the biggest intact Roman amphitheatre outside Rome. - Nearby mountain biking opportunities. - Beautiful seaside town of Rovinj. - Istralandia, one of the premier waterparks in Europe, half an hour away. - Pula airport, one hour twenty minutes. Trieste airport, one hour thirty minutes. (pick-up can be arranged, for a fee, but hire car recommended) House rules • Check-in time 5pm and check-out time is 10am. • Wifi included. • Smoking is not allowed. • Parking on the small street outside the main gate. • Pets are permitted, but with an extra cleaning fee. • Extra fee for firewood, if requested.