Ičići, a perfect family destination

March 3, 2020May 17, 2020Uncategorized

The sea has always been the main resource for the people of Ičići ever since the ninth century BC when the Liburnians (an Illyrian tribe) used to build their fast ships along these coasts and then sail to North Africa and Asia Minor.

It is therefore no wonder that this ancient connection with the sea has been preserved right up to the present day. Today, Ičići is most famous for its attractive beach and one of the best marinas in the Adriatic for big yachts (030 berths and 35 dry berths). Also, Ičići has a traditional local port for small boats. For more than a decade, Ičići beach has been awarded the Blue Flag, an international symbol of high-quality service and cleanliness, and has been listed as one of the five best-maintained beaches in Croatia.

The marina, sheltered from the northern bura wind by Mount Učka, has 283 berths with electricity and water, and is the best harbour for yachts up to a length of 40 metres in the northern Adriatic. However, Ičići offers much more than just enjoying the beach and sea. Visitors can spend an action-packed holiday doing a variety of sports activities such as speedminton, sand volleyball, beach aerobics, tennis, paintball and football at the nearby campsite. For hiking enthusiasts, there are numerous marked trails leading up to Mount Učka that start in Ičići and end at the top of the highest mountain in Kvarner. On the road from Icici to the Učka mountain you will find the small medieval town of Veprinac, whose city statute dates as far back as the year 1500.

Find more about Ičići: http://icici-tourism.com/naslovna/en

Učka nature park for the adventurers

December 5, 2019May 17, 2020Uncategorized

Učka Nature Park provides excellent conditions for different recreational and sporting activities. The public institution strives to encourage and develop such activities, but also to control them, to make sure they represent no threat to the very characteristics for which the area was proclaimed a nature park in the first place. Some sporting and recreational activities have a long tradition in the park, but some are entirely new. The public institution has elaborated a detailed programme of organised and supervised types of recreational activities within the park:

Hiking

The first recorded ascent of Učka’s peak was made in 1722 by Zanichelli, a botanist from Venice. Over the next 150 years, numerous botanists and geologists from various countries visited Učka to pursue their interest in the mountain’s rich vegetation. Učka then grew increasingly popular due to its closeness of Opatija, a popular resort for European aristocracy. As a result, many aristocrats of that time visited Učka to admire its beauty. With the development of tourism along the coast, progress gradually reached the slopes of Učka too. The local tourism office would advise visitors to take a cruise on Kvarner Bay or a “highly rewarding mountain tour” to Učka’s peak. This is how Učka, previously of interest only to scientists, geologists or botanists, became popular among hikers and day-trippers and the tourists who were spending their holidays in Opatija. The Poklon pass and the whole of Mount Učka became a favourite destination of tourists from the whole Opatija Riviera. The Poklon Mountain Hut provided comfortable shelter and was a starting point for climbing the peak, where one could enjoy a magnificent sunrise, the most spectacular moment of any ascent to the peak of Učka.

Mountain-biking

Within Učka Nature Park are 8 well-tended, marked mountain-bike trails of varying difficulty to a total length of 180 km. The trails lead through various landscapes, providing a unique chance to enjoy magnificent views of Kvarner Bay, the islands and towns along the coast, and then experience the beauty of Mount Učka and the Ćićarija plateau at higher altitudes. Each trail is described in more detail in the Učka Bike brochure, which can be obtained from the Učka Nature Park Public Institution or from tourist agencies on the Opatija Riviera.

Free-climbing

The canyon of Vela draga, with its 62 climbing routes, represents one of the most attractive climbing areas in Croatia, and is very popular among climbers throughout the year. The solitary limestone towers and rocks of Vela draga are ideal for pursuing this sport. The first climber to recognise this was Emilio Comici from Italy, who climbed the first route in Vela draga back in 1931.

Hang-gliding and paragliding

Since the very beginnings of modern paragliding and hang-gliding, Učka has attracted many enthusiasts of these sports and hosted several Croatian and international competitions. The Učka paragliding and hang-gliding area is located within the nature park’s borders and includes take-off ramps at Vojak and Brgud.

For more informations visit: http://www.pp-ucka.hr/en/ucka-outdoor-2

The seaside promenade, Lungomare

September 12, 2019May 17, 2020Uncategorized

2011 was the 100th anniversary of Opatija’s best-known footpath – the famous coastal promenade that stretches from Volosko to Ičići and Lovran. Officially named the Franz Joseph I Promenade, it is still best known as the Lungomare. Dating back to the heyday of Opatija as a health and tourist resort at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Lungomare was built in parts. Ever since, the Lungomare has been a favourite walking path for local people and their visitors, a motif of countless photographs and paintings, and an essential part of Ičići’s townscape when viewed from the sea. A walk along this promenade above all means enjoying the fresh sea air and a beautiful coastal landscape dotted with quaint coves, but it is also much more than that. It is also a chance to learn something about local history: for right from its starting point in Volosko by the birthplace of the great scientist Andrija Mohorovičić, past former sanatoriums and guesthouses in the northern part of the promenade, through Angiolina Park and on past Slatina beach further south all the way to the magnificent villas in Lovran, the Lungomare reveals a series of buildings, locations, monuments and memorial plaques that tell the interesting tale of Opatija’s past.