Motovun

Motovun (Croatian pronunciation: [mɔtɔ̌ʋuːn], Italian: Montona or Montona d'Istria) is a village in central Istria, Croatia. The population of the village itself is 531, with a total of 983 residents in the municipality (2001); 442 of the residents have Italian as their mother language. The Porečanka was a narrow gauge railroad that ran from Trieste to Poreč between 1902-1935, passed valley below the town.

Motovun is a medieval town that grew up on the site of an ancient city called Kastelijer. It is situated on a hill 270 m (886 ft) above sea level with houses scattered all over the hill.On the inner walls are several coats-of-arms of different Motovun ruling families and two gravestones of Roman inhabitants (dating from the 1st century).

The late-Renaissance church of St. Stephen was built right at the beginning of the 17th century according to sketches probably designed by the well-known Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). The church contains several works of art: the marble statues of St. Stephen and St. Laurence by Francesco Bonazzo and the 17th-century painting of the Last Supper over the altar by an unknown Venetian artist. The water cisterns in the square in front of the church date from the 14th and 15th centuries.