Hilltop villages,
truffle forests, and
the writer who fled to the edge of Europe.

On the Horizon

Tuscany's quieter,
less discovered counterpart.

Croatia's Istrian peninsula is a place most American travelers haven't found yet — and that's exactly why we're going. Medieval hilltop villages rise above truffle forests. Venetian-era harbors glow amber at sunset. Olive oil rivals the best in Italy. And the wine is extraordinary, if you know where to look.

This is also where James Joyce fled in 1904 — arriving in Pula with Nora Barnacle, nearly broke, and beginning the stories that would become Dubliners. Jules Verne set his adventure novel Mathias Sandorf in Pazin, inspired by the castle perched above a 100-meter gorge. Istria is a place shaped by borders, languages, and overlapping identities — Italian, Croatian, Venetian, Habsburg — and its literature reflects that layered history.

We're planning a week-long reading retreat based in the hilltop villages and coastal towns of Istria. Truffle hunting in the Motovun forest. Wine tastings in converted stone farmhouses. Afternoons reading on a terrace above the Adriatic. Details are being finalized — subscribe to be notified first.