Ties, scarves or stationery
The country's emblem, the krvat, was one of the few French words adapted from Croatian. Its use dates back to the Thirty Years' War, when hussars from the East came to support the monarchy. They wore a scarf over their uniforms. Nicknamed the Royal-Cravates by Louis XIV, these cavalrymen influenced the French, who began to wear a Croatian-style neckerchief. Today, Parliament has instituted a Tie Day (October 18)!
Croata, the tie market leader, has opened museum concept shops in several Croatian towns - not yet in Pula. So to discover the latest scarf collection (Briuni), inspired by the colors of the archipelago, you'll have to go to the brand's website or to Rijeka. In Pula, the Giardini, Laginjina, Ciscutijeva, Flanatička and Istarska streets also provide a lively shopping area around the market and the town center. For ready-to-wear, some international franchises and fashion designers exhibit at the Muffin Fashion Store.
At the Museum of Contemporary Art and thePula Tourist Office, design objects (stationery, graphic arts) make for slightly offbeat, arty gifts. But to find a real Penkala fountain pen, you need luck. The name comes from its inventor, Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, an engineer born in Slovakia and naturalized Croatian. It was he who, in 1907, created the first mechanical pen with an integrated reservoir in Zagreb. Perhaps in Poreč, at the weekly garage sale every Friday on Rade Končar Street.
The seaside town is teeming with souvenir stores. You won't go wrong buying a replica of an early Christian mosaic detail, identical to the one you can admire in the Euphrasian Basilica, with a tessellated fish, symbol of the first Christians. We also love the little pottery kazuni, a carbon copy of a traditional garden shed, which makes an excellent paperweight!
Local arts and crafts
If you like landscape painting, the Istrian countryside or marine panoramas, the galleries on Kandlerova street in Pula, as well as the boutique-ateliers in Rovinj and Labin, may be of interest to you. At the Pazin Ethnographic Museum, the corner at the entrance features a small collection of objects for sale, made by local craftsmen and inspired by regional agricultural traditions. Folk art at a very affordable price, with animal figurines such as the istarka goat and donkey, ox-drawn carts with their loads of wood, small farmers in their old costumes and tools. There are also a few models of the pretty bukaleta, the small, glazed, decorated clay jug used in Istria to serve wine at community festivals and celebrations.
Natural cosmetics and perfumes
Istria has a long tradition of herbal medicine. Lavender essential oil was used as far back as antiquity. Don't miss a visit to a natural cosmetics store, a pharmacy(ljekarna) or a DM drugstore. You'll find face and body creams made from olive oil, scented with essential oils of laurel, lavender, pyrethrum, peppermint, chamomile, calendula, St. John's wort, immortelle, sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary, chamomile, etc. Beauty/well-being products, labelled under the Aromatica brand, use blends from regional apothecaries. A wide range of herbal teas, sachets of dried medicinal or aromatic herbs and a well-stocked e-shop for online purchases.
In Rovinj, perfumer Profumo di Rovigno sells a local production of eaux de toilette and perfumes extracted from floral fragrances, bergamot, narcissus, lilac, but also yellow peach or musk. Soaps, body lotions and home fragrances complete the range.
In Pula, perfumer Le André does something quite different. The idea? The sale of bulk perfumes, in other words, generic perfumes! They come in a single bottle model. And don't talk to them about counterfeiting! These quality perfumes are inspired by major international brands, not copied. An economical, even ecological way to smell good, because you can return with your empty bottle.
Istarska gastronomija
But Istria's strongest identity is its cuisine. Its terroir has been compared to that of Tuscany, and here too, the dolce vita often reigns around the table. Istrian ingredients, which visitors can taste on the spot or take home with them, have made its reputation. Look out for the Istarska designation on the labels, which guarantees the origin of the products. Olive oils(maslinovo ulje), vacuum-packed, marinated truffles, truffle condiments(bijeli tartuf), direct from the Zigante Tartufi producer.
When it comes to wine, the best thing to do is to follow the many wine routes, stopping off at wineries and tasting local vintages. Local wine shops, grocery stores and mini-markets sell good teran, plavac mali (red), malvazija, graševina, pošip (white), muscat maraschino, nut liqueurs(orahovac), carob seeds(rogača), grape marc(lozovača), aromatic herbs(Travarica). Brandies(rakija), on the other hand, tend to be home-made.
Note that in the refrigerated display cases of the airport's duty free shops, you'll find well-packaged typical Istrian charcuterie, smoked ham prociutto but also label sheep's cheese(istarski ovčiji sir), produced with an autochthonous breed of sheep. On other shelves, you'll find istrian lasagne(istarske lazanje), tube-shaped pasta(fuži) or spindle-shaped pasta(pljukanci), and bars from master chocolatier VR Chocoart from Pula (72% cocoa) in olive oil, which sources its cocoa beans from Venezuela.
It's also handy for those who can't bring along large liquid containers (cosmetics, wines, liqueurs and spirits), as well as rare honeys such as sage(planinski med) or rosemary honey, fig jam(džem od smokve) or rosehip jam(džem od bokovi ruža).
