Explore The Kvarner Gulf
LOVRAN is an Italianate, green-shuttered little town with a small harbour, fringed by palatial belle époque villas sporting curly wrought-iron balustrades. Uphill from the harbour is an old quarter of vine-shaded alleys which converge on the fourteenth-century St George’s Church (Crkva svetog Jurja); the frescoes behind the main altar, which date from 1479, are reminiscent in style of the wall paintings at Beram and other Istrian churches. Opposite the church, the House of St George bears an eighteenth-century relief of the saint slaying a dragon above the doorway; it’s become something of a town trademark.
-
Lovran Chestnut Festival
Lovran Chestnut Festival
The Lovran area is famous for its chestnut trees, which were originally imported from Japan in the seventeenth century. They are harvested in mid-autumn, an event celebrated by the Marunada Chestnut Festival (call the tourist office for details), which takes place over three weekends in October: the first two weekends see festivities in hill villages above town, while the final weekend takes place in Lovran itself. The festival is used as an excuse for making a wide variety of cakes flavoured with chestnut purée, which are sold in all the local cafés.
