Završje - Piemonte d'Istria
Driving down the road towards Završje, the syntagm magical Istria assumes its full meaning: it is truly a breathtaking view.
In the foreground is the medieval town rising on a cliff above the Mirna Valley, and in the distance behind it is Motovun on the other side of the river, on another hill, as if afloat.
This is where the story about the fortifications, about life above the Mirna River, about the trade that took place in its ports and navigability deep into the interior, the mystical quality of Motovun forest and centennial battles for possession, comes to life.
The town developed on the site of a prehistoric hill-fort, while life in Antiquity is testified by inscriptions and reliefs. It was first mentioned in the 11th c. in the deed of gift of the Patriarch of Aquileia. Already then it was some kind of a fortified structure that was reconstructed and reinforced during the administration of different rulers, from the Counts of Gorizia, to the Habsburgs, the Devins and the Austrian Empire. The most extensive works were carried out in the 16th c. when Završje was purchased with Kostanjica at auction and came into possession of the Contarini family.
