It is Sunday afternoon, it is already dark outside and to top that all – it’s raining. Basically I’m stuck inside.
To kill my boring routine I decide to scratch my brain a bit and I found a lovely memory on an early summer road trip to the smallest town so earth (at least the locals call it like that, but indeed it is small) – Hum.
Hum
Hum is located in central north Istria, Croatia. There are several roads that will take you to that town so don’t get afraid if you took a road barely enough wide to fit your car, you are probably still on the right path. If not and you get lost do not panic, just take a moment and enjoy the country and the view. I know I had to stop several times along my way to Hum, because there was just so much beauty on the way.
My starting point was Lovran, so I had to cross mountain Učka. Učka is the tallest mountain in Istria region (Vojak 1401 m). If you like to hike you must risk a day of your vacation and dedicate it to this mountain. In the end you will be reworded with a stunning view from the Kvarner bay all the way to Slovenia tallest mountain Triglav (2864 m). If the vision is good and with a bit of luck you could as well see Venice 🙂
So back to my road… As I crossed Učka a came along this rustic fountain. The fountain is called “Water of Joseph II” also known as The Napoleon’s water.
Water of Joseph II/Napoleon’s water
I have made several stops on my way and one of them was to investigate those gray dunes that were everywhere on the west slopes of mount Učka. I still don’t know much about them so if you, dear reader, have any kind of information of those dunes please share it with me in comments below :). The information will be much appreciated.
Učka dunes
When I finally arrived to Hum I had to pay the entrance to the town (for my car). I was lucky because the season was still low so I was almost alone. Beside me there were some Italian tourists and some children from local school. I parked near the old cemetery just few hundred meters away from the small town.
View from parking lot
I have to say, they don’t lie when they say that this is the smallest town in the world, indeed it is small. The town literary has only good dozen houses and few narrow streets. The town was first mentioned in 1102. Some houses are renewed and some are falling apart. It is beautiful and sad view at the same time. As I saw there were some restoration works being done at the time – thumbs up for that!:)
Old house falling apart
My experience with Hum is very lovely. It felt like I was lost in time. I had with me my best companion in the whole wide world – my dog Gigi and my favorite item – analogue camera. I took my time to feel the town, to breath it all in and to try to capture that on film (black and white Ilford film 400 plus).
Beloved assistant, Gigi the dog
Hum has a really nice restaurant – Humska konoba. The locals and people form that region are saying that so that must be true ;). In the local shop you can buy souvenirs, good local vine, famous local cheese etc. Not much vegan food though :/
Narrow street
I would recommend Hum to everyone that are planning a trip to this part of the world. You must stop or make a detour to this medieval town. The best time would be before or after the high season.
