Story of Villa

Villa Sancta Maria Motovun is a renewed historical stone house converted in a five star luxury villa within incredible Mediterranean ambient. Ideal place for perfect family vacation with kids! This typical Istrian stone house is situated at a breathtaking location with the most exciting view in whole Istrian peninsula.

The spectacular Villa Sancta Maria is situated on a hill in the plane of the medieval town of Motovun with a beautiful view of the Istrian landscapes which are marked by numerous olive groves and vineyards and is perfect for a family vacation in solitude. At the same time villa is located in the very heart of the truffle kingdom, overlooking the world famous Forest of Motovun which keeps the secret of istrian white truffle.

Only 20 kilometers from the coastal Novigrad, this villa is ideal for leaving the city bustle and enjoying the fresh air, relaxing in the beautiful garden or under the covered terraces, swimming in the huge pool of up to 100 square meters, enjoying the modern wellness & spa center, as well as all the other amenities that make this villa so special. Promoting her own aesthetic of life, staying in a villa provides a true return to the essence of the Mediterranean.

The specialty of the house is a huge cultivated surroundings (10000m2) and well maintained garden which is designed as a Mediterranean arboretum dominated by palm trees and olives and other Mediterranean ornamental and useful herbs, citrus fruits – lemons, oranges, mandarins, cypresses, figs, pomegranates, almonds, mulberries, bananas, oleander, cypress, magnolias, juke, lilies, lavender, immortelle, rosemary …

The house with its overall ambience is an authentic representative of the noble culture of the Green Mediterranean in an area that, in addition to Istria, is successfully represented by world-renowned regions such as Tuscany and Umbria in Italy and Provence in France.

The interior is dominated by natural materials, old stone of local origin, oak from nearby Motovun forest, domestic terracotta and Istrian stone slabs, antic restored furniture and carpentry, artistic ceramic elements mostly from Sicily and Umbria, as well as Istria, antic open fire place, etc. Since the owner is a long-time collector of antiques and works of art, most of his holdings were transferred to the villa.

Therefore the interiors are filled with antique furniture, paints and other valuable additions from the owners travels around the world which combines successfully with harmoniously blended fusion elements of different cultures, especially from the Oriental region. Overall interior was designed to preserve and enhance the ambience, and the intention was to contribute to the protection of the Croatian ethno-cultural heritage while making the house with infield a suitable medium for the transmission of a specific genius loci. 

Apart from the clear features of the traditional rural architecture of central Istria, the house is characterized by the specificity of the micro-location and the unique view of the medieval town of Motovun, the Mirna river valley, Motovun forest and Lake Butonega, which makes it the most beautiful and certainly the most exciting view in Istria. The house is located at an altitude of approximately 280 m and only 3 – 4 km away from Livade, the world famous site of the largest white truffle and 20 minutes from the nearest seaside town – Novigrad. It is 5 km from Motovun, 4 km from Oprtalj, 10 km from Grožnjan, 12 km from Buzet, 46 km from Trieste, 54 km from Rijeka and Opatija. Shops, supermarkets, restaurants and other services are available in all these places, while the closest health service is provided in Buzet.

The microclimate is entirely Mediterranean because the valley of the river Mirna, which flows into the sea near Novigrad, is constantly flowing with warm sea air, which mixes with the mountain air of Učka, Ćićarija and Slovenian Kras The interesting thing about the whole valley of the river Mirna is that in antiquity it was completely under the sea all the way to Buzet, but alluvial deposits of the river Mirna, meanwhile, during the period of 2000 years, raised the ground level by as much as 20 meters! Until the back of the 10th century Motovun had its harbor at the foot, and the Diocese of Poreč had a fish farm in the former deep bay, today a valley whose hills are adorned with a ring of medieval towns that developed from the ancient antiquity buildings built by the Histri (Illyrians), one of the ancient ancestors of contemporary Istrian Croats.

The villa consists of 4 bedrooms with bathrooms and a large apartment on the upper floor that consist of additional 2 big rooms, bathroom and terrace. All together villa can accommodate up to 12 people in regular beds and additional 2 people in extra beds.  Living room and fully equipped kitchen with dining area, next to the antic fire place, is situated in the middle floor. Anyhow a special experience is preparing a grilled meal in the garden barbecue with serving on the terrace under the pergola.

The rooms and other spaces are air conditioned and heated.

The villa regullarly offers additional amenities that are included in accommodation price:

(1)          Outdoor Kids Zone;
(2)          Organic Vegetable Garden;
(3)          Outdoor Pool with hydromassage  (100m2).

Besides accommodation and related content abovementioned the villa offers additional and optional amenities which are charged separately:

(1)          Wellness & Spa Center;
(2)          Multi Sport Playground.

Wellness & Spa Center includes:  hot tube with hydromassage, Finnish sauna, bio sauna, chromotherapy, SPA Ritual by L’Occitane, teak lounge, TV/home cinema, playstation, mini bar, shower, restroom.

Multi Sport Playground is equipedd for perfoming 4 different sports – football, badminton, crossmint and volleyball. Playground has natural grass, irrigation, safety net, spotlights for the night game and related sports equipment.

Please note down that bikes and table tennis are included in accommodation price!