The trail “Across the Hills of Pazin” begins in the heart of Istria, just beneath the 13th century parish church of St. Nicholas (crkva sv. Nikole). The route starts in front of the Central Istria Tourist Board, continues straight through Pazin’s old town to the biggest and the best preserved castle in Istria, the 10th century Pazin Castle (Pazinski kaštel), which is rightly considered the symbol of Pazin, giving the town its recognizable appearance. The trail runs further to Vršić Bridge which arches over the Abyss of Pazin, a unique hydrogeological phenomenon that served as an inspiration to the French writer Jules Verne for his world-famous novel “Mathias Sandorf”. From this point, it continues along the former Pazinka factory, which was the backbone of Pazin economy in the second half of the 20th century. After passing by its facilities, you’ll start ascending to Gortan’s Hill (Gortanov brijeg) which offers amazing vistas of the surrounding area.
The trail continues around the city along the forested northern cliff, which makes it ideal for walks during hot summer months, since the thick forest provides shade and good protection from the sun. There are certain spots along the cliff which offer magnificent views of Pazin valley on one side and Lake Butoniga on the other. The trail then descends from the forested cliffs through the little villages of Bani and Dušani, and then through the former military warehouse called Loke, reaching St. Joseph’s Bridge (Most sv. Jožefa). You’ll complete the trail by ascending the asphalt road leading back to the town and the place from which you started your short journey.