This Sunday, December 15, hikers will be trekking deep in the autumnal Istrian countryside to celebrate the anniversary of the rail trail they will be following. On the same day in 1902, a train ran the distance between Buje and Poreč for the first time along the narrow-gauge track known as the Parenzana.
This was the second section to be unveiled, winding all the way from Trieste in what is now Italy to Poreč, in modern-day Croatia. This 123-kilometre route passed 11 bridges, nine tunnels and six viaducts, a feat of engineering typical of the far-reaching ambition of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, within which the Parenzana was then situated.
Pleasant though the journey was, at a gentle average speed of 25km/h, the facility was also vital for transporting fruit, salt, wine, fish and firewood, all vital for trade and to feed and heat the 33 Istrian settlements the Parenzana called at.
During World War I that would eventually break up the empire, the train conveyed soldiers to and from the front.
In recent years, parts of Parenzana have been transformed into scenic hiking and bicycle trails, such as the walk setting off at 10am from the old station in Buje. Hikers will be heading for the artists’ retreat of Grožnjan before strolling back along the restored route.