The Parenzana — Motovun to Grožnjan by rail trail

The Parenzana was a 123 km narrow-gauge railway from Trieste to Poreč, opened in 1902 and closed in 1935; its bed is now one of Europe’s beloved gravel rail trails. The signature stretch climbs from Motovun to Grožnjan — roughly 13 km one way of packed gravel and cart-track through the truffle forests of the Mirna valley, with two long tunnels on the Grožnjan side and the stone viaducts the railway left behind. E-bikes rented in Motovun flatten the climbs; the return is by the valley road or back the same way.