Preparing the view of Motovun…
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The Motovun Forest and Mirna Valley are documented truffle landscapes in Istria. Explore the evidence, the seasons of white and black truffles, and places and truffle businesses around Motovun, Livade and Buzet.
Geographic relationships
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Sentinel-2 cloudless · EOX · CC BY 4.0 · Mapzen
Terrain and imagery sources
Mapzen Terrain Tiles · Produced using Copernicus data and information funded by the European Union — EU-DEM layers. SRTM/GMTED2010: USGS. Sentinel-2 cloudless by EOX IT Services GmbH (Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 & 2017), CC BY 4.0. GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap contributors.
Istria
Official tourism sources place Istria's truffle area between Pazin, Buje and Buzet, especially around the Mirna Valley and Motovun Forest.
Evidence basis: Truffle of Istria
Mirna Valley
The management plan describes the Mirna River and Motovun Forest ecosystem as a connected system.
Evidence basis: Plan upravljanja Posebnim rezervatom Motovunska šuma i područjima ekološke mreže doline Mirne (PU 6060)
Motovun Forest
Motovun's spatial plan places the forest on the alluvium of the Mirna and its Butoniga tributary.
Evidence basis: Prostorni plan uređenja Općine Motovun
A regional frame that connects the tourism-defined truffle area with narrower evidenced records for landscapes and places.
01Flagship landscapes
Motovun Forest connects the Istrian white truffle with the soils and water regime of the Mirna Valley. This page compares scientific sources and protected-area documents; they do not provide spots where visitors can search for truffles. Motovun Forest has been protected as a special forest-vegetation reserve since 1964.
The Mirna Valley provides the broader river landscape associated with white truffles and Motovun Forest. Valley and forest are not the same area. The sources below explain their connection; the boundary of the whole valley has not been established here. PU 6060 covers areas along the Mirna River that are important for conserving species and habitats.
02Evidence matrix
| Geographic relationships | Evidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Istria | Official tourism sources place Istria's truffle area between Pazin, Buje and Buzet, especially around the Mirna Valley and Motovun Forest. | Truffle of Istria |
| Motovun Forest | The management plan identifies Motovun Forest as truffle habitat; it does not define public hunting spots. | Plan upravljanja Posebnim rezervatom Motovunska šuma i područjima ekološke mreže doline Mirne (PU 6060) |
| Tuber magnatum | A scientific study describes Motovun Forest as a white-truffle (*Tuber magnatum*) producing area. | The soil environment for Tuber magnatum growth in Motovun Forest, Istria |
| Tuber melanosporum | A second scientific source gives a broader habitat context for black truffle (*Tuber melanosporum*), without a publicly confirmed find at a specific place. | Forest Vegetation of Hardwood Tree Species along the Mirna River in Istria (Croatia) |
03Local context
Motovun, called Montona in Italian, is a settlement above the Mirna Valley. The official tourism description places its truffle connection in the surrounding Motovun Forest. The town, forest and businesses in the register are separate records: a business address is not a truffle find location. Motovun overlooks the Mirna River valley.
Livade, called Levade in Italian, is associated with the Istrian white truffle and the Mirna Valley by the Municipality of Oprtalj. The Croatian Truffle Institute’s timeline reports a truffle-trade connection from 1933. Use the linked local register for businesses in Livade; their addresses do not establish truffle origin. The Municipality of Oprtalj describes Livade as a place in Motovun Forest and the Mirna Valley, associated with the Istrian white truffle.
Buzet is a town above the Mirna Valley, known locally as the “City of Truffles”. Use the linked local directory for businesses, and follow the valley and species links for habitat and biology. The City of Buzet describes its old town above the valley through which the Mirna flows.
04Now in Istria
Istria’s two flagship species, plus other species recorded in Istria that are in season and open to collection now, with their biological standing and the Croatian legal framework for this page’s edition date.
Status on · 1 November 2026
Peak season · HR: Open · September 1 – December 31
Out of season · HR: Closed · June 1 – July 31 · September 1 – September 30
Peak season · HR: Open · October 1 – January 31
Truffle Seasons Through the Year · Legal collecting windows
Next calendar event: Buzet — Istrian Truffle Festival · November 7 – November 8
05Truffle hunting and tastings in the register
Find Istrian businesses with documented truffle hunts or tastings. Open a record for details and sources, then visit the business’s official website to check visiting conditions and arrange a date.
Livade · Tastings · Truffle hunting
Karojba · Tastings · Truffle hunting
Buzet · Truffle hunting · Tastings
Umag · Truffle hunting · Tastings
Motovun · Truffle hunting
Buzet · Truffle hunting · Tastings
Motovun · Truffle hunting · Tastings
Buzet · Truffle hunting
Oprtalj · Truffle hunting
Buzet · Truffle hunting · Tastings
Pazin · Tastings · Truffle hunting
Buzet · Truffle hunting · Tastings
12 · Register
06Truffle Days in Istria
Dates from the 2026 edition published by the Istria Tourist Board. They are reproduced for visit planning; this page is not the organiser and sells no tickets.
Held · September 5
Held · September 12 – September 13
Under way · October 3 – November 1 · Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00–19:00
Held · October 17 – October 18
Held · October 24 – October 25
November 7 – November 8
2026 · Istria Tourist Board (istra.hr) · Accessed 2026-09-29
07Not the same as
- Istria ≠ Motovun Forest
The region is not the same as one forest or protected-area scope.
- tourism-defined area ≠ legal/GIS boundary
The source does not establish a legal or GIS boundary.
08Connected records
An independent reference project on Istrian truffles
What types of truffles are there, and how do they differ? Compare eight species and forms of the genus Tuber from Istria and Europe by season, appearance, aroma and host plants.
Collection
Ecology
Cultivation
32 Istrian records
09Collection-area map
10Sources and boundaries
Istria Tourist Board · Accessed 2026-08-24
Natura Croatica / Hrčak · Accessed 2026-08-24
SEEFOR / Hrčak · Accessed 2026-08-19
5 records · Search