My father was born in Lanisce, a hillside northern region of Istria, in Croatia. It’s a very tiny village with only about 88 people – at peak hour! Here, you’ll find beautiful rolling hills with incredible food and wine. It’s also the epicentre of truffles, and, in spring, wild asparagus grows like grass!

Pula, a small seaside town in Istria, is where my father grew up and spent most of his teenage years. One of the town’s most famous – and charming – sites is its own version of Rome’s Colosseum. Once ruled by the Romans, the ‘Arena’, as it is locally known, is a stunning building. Concerts and operas are held at twilight here in spring and summer. Pula is also a major fishing port, so the seafood is excellent, too.

For more top-notch seafood head to the restaurants dotted along the Limski Kanal for the freshest oysters and mussels. Try the local specialty of brudet, a simple fish stew featuring red mullet, or barbun in Istrian, and served with soft rich polenta. The perfect match is a chilled glass of crisp malvasia wine. For outstanding mussels and oysters visit Viking Restaurant on the Limski fjord.

And then there are the truffles.

On the same geographic line as Alba in Piedmont, Italy (famous for the sought-after ingredient), and with a very similar topography, Motovun is a small hilltop town in central Istria where some of the finest truffles in the world can be found. It’s excellent when freshly grated onto fuži pasta with a braised veal. Of course a glass of Istrian Refošk is the perfect wine pairing for this dish. Refošk is similar to a Rhone syrah, with a high acidity, and fruity and black pepper notes. It’s the perfect partner for an earthy dish.

Visit the Plitvice Lakes district, it’s part of a national parks region in central Croatia and has a stunning chain of 16 terraced lakes and waterfalls that extend into a limestone canyon.