There are many places of interest to visit, and sporting activities available in the local area.  Our local town of Porec, with it's world renowned 6th Century Euphrasian Basilica (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) boasts beautiful Roman cobbled streets, with plentiful boutiques, cafes, restaurants and bars.  Whether you are enjoying a cocktail on top of the old Torre Rotunda (Round Tower) built in 1474, or wandering down the Roman Decumanus, you are sure to love the architecture and sea views Porec has to offer.  For a longer day out, boat trips leave each morning to Venice.  The trip takes about 2 hours, and returns early evening - just in time to enjoy dinner at one of the sea-front restaurants before returning to the villa!  Other boat trips are also offered; from fish picnics and scenic trips to a glass bottomed boat.

Further down the coast, you can visit Pula, the largest city in Istria, and visit the Arena (the 6th largest surviving Roman Amphitheatre) where open air concerts are sometimes performed in the summer months.  Vodnjan and Rovinj are also Roman towns, well worth exploring, especially Rovinj which has some lovely cafe's overlooking the sea, perfect for watching the sun set over the Adriatic. The little coastal town of Vrsar is also very pretty, with a lovely marina and hilltop town centre.  There is a tourist train from the marina which makes a circuit of the old town, which is good fun for smaller children and a nice way of seeing the town without walking!  While in Vrsar, Restaurant Trost is well worth a visit (see Eating Out).

For those with artistic interests, the tiny hilltop town of Groznjan (dating from 1102) is well worth a visit.  It has many small galleries in it's cobbled streets, and it is the meeting point of young musicians from all over the world because the International Cultural Centre of Young Musicians has its seat here. Every year Grožnjan organizes music courses and seminars and during summer months concerts and music events are held almost every day. At the end of summer, the international art ex tempore is held.  Grožnjan is also the location of an annual jazz festival, attracting international musicians, at the end of July and early August. The town of Motovun dates from Medieval times, is also very picturesque.  Since 1999 it has hosted the International Motovun Film Festival for independent and avante-garde films from the US and Europe. The inland town of Pazin also dates from medieval times, and hosts an interesting museum inside it's medieval fortress.

Back at the coast, the ancient city of Novigrad is definately worth a visit.  It has a beautiful coastline, Marina and small town centre.  In the summer there is an annual festival, with live music, and with its lovely restaurants and bars it's another great place to watch the sun go down.

By taking a short boat trip from Fazana, it is possible to visit the Brijuni National Park.  Brijuni is made up of 14 islands, and is regarded as one of the loveliest archipelagos in the Mediterranean, and the former private retreat of Tito, before being made a national park in 1983.  Brijuni can only be accessed by taking a tour, which can be booked at any of the tourist offices in Porec.  The tour includes the boat trip and a guided tour (by tourist train) of the island, followed by free time to explore before the boat returns to Fazana.  

For a more active day, the local area offers plenty of options.  Tennis is available at Pension Gloria in Cancini, and go-karting, quad-biking and horse riding are available nearby.  At Zelena Laguna (just south of Porec) you can go cable water-skiing, and at other beaches you can hire a banana boat or pedaloes.  There are many boat  trips and fish picnics on offer from the marina in Porec including, of course, day trips to Venice.  Another interesting place to see is Jama Baradine; the cave is just a short distance from the villa and well worth a visit, especially on a cloudy day!  For more information, visit www.baradine.com.  You can also visit the Laguna cheese factory and enjoy wine, olive oil and cheese tasting, for more details email agrolaguna@agrolaguna.hr. There are also numerous wine tasting routes, olive oil routes and cycle routes nearby.  At certain times of the year, local towns hold numerous festivals, celebrating everything from ham to truffles.  

If you are in Istria in May, you may be lucky enough to catch the Red Bull Air Race which takes to the skies at Rovinj.  It is a spectacular and exciting event to see, especially with the stunning backdrop of the Adriatic and Rovinj - it's well worth the trip from the villa! Tickets can be purchased in advance online, or when you arrive in Rovinj on the day.  

There are now two brand new water slide parks a short drive away.  Istralandia is situated close to Novigrad offering a range of slides and pools to make a great day out for families.  

Aquacolours Porec reputedly has the largest water slide is Europe, and is located just a 5 minute drive from Porec.

For a more traditional day out, try one of the many local beaches.  There are several to choose from in and around Porec (all sign-posted), most are close to cafes and restaurants, and some offer crazy golf, tennis, sun-lounger hire etc.