Where to stay in Istria – and what to do while you’re there

Istria – with its sleepy fishing villages, azure waters, and verdant hills of truffle, olive, and vine – is still, miraculously, under the radar. Straddling both Mediterranean and Balkan identity, this pointed peninsula makes for not only a perfect Tuscan rival, but for a softer, more refined counterpart to the tourist-soaked Dalmatian coast.

Luckily, a raft of new flight routes from UK airports have pushed open the floodgates, as have a new wave of design-forward hotels, farm-to-fork…