Istria is a land of sun, wine and olives. But also of sweet Mediterranean fruit, such as cherries, peaches or kaki, as well as other vegetables grown by good and caring people. Their home is the hinterland of the three historic townships of Koper - Capodistria, Izola – Isola and Piran – Pirano.
A number of flysch ridges and hills rise inward over the coastline where these three cities are perched. And between these, in the valleys, rivers and streams flow. Many of these run dry during summer's seasonal draughts. This is Šavrinja region, where sweet grapes and oil-rich olives grow on terraced slopes. A landscape with many villages and settlements connected by vineyards, olive plantations, and fields runs from Varda over Dvori, at an elevation of 390 metres above sea level, steeply and then more gently downwards between the valleys of the river Rižana and Badaševica. People here have been growing the vine and the olive tree since thousands of years. The cellars of many homestead are filled with tasty treasures: Refosco wine as pitch black as night, golden Malvasia, sweet Yellow Muscat or the tantalizingly scented local specialty – Cipro, a wine that has been practically resurrected from abandon right here, in Sveti Anton, Pobegi, Čežarji and Bertoki.
Right next to these wines, the same cellars also hide another treasure – olive oil, the unique Istrian gold, that people come to savour and purchase from near and afar. The centre of Sveti Anton (Saint Anthony), a village with several surrounding settlements, is by the church entitled to St Anthony of the Desert and by the Zadružni dom with its' inn and restaurant, where on the first or second Saturday of every February the members of the local winegrowers association Vinol hold their main event, the yearly Wine & Olive Oil Tasting. Inside the church, consecrated in 1582, three altars and a valuable painting from 17th century can be noticed. Close to the overlook of Kavaliči stands a refurbished house where in 1944 the Committee of popular authority for the Lopar (later for the entire Koper) district.
The somewhat remote settlement of Kocjančiči is itself protected as Cultural Urban Heritage. From Sveti Anton, the roads lead to Marezige, Dvori and Kubed, Potok, into the Rižana valley and of course to Koper – Capodistria.
Photos
![Sv. Anton - Sv. Anton Sv. Anton - Sv. Anton]()
Sv. Anton
![Sv. Anton - Sveti Anton (Saint Anthony) - The centre of village Sv. Anton - Sveti Anton (Saint Anthony) - The centre of village]()
Sveti Anton (Saint Anthony) - The centre of village
![Sv. Anton - Sveti Anton - Cemetery Sv. Anton - Sveti Anton - Cemetery]()
Sveti Anton - Cemetery
![Sv. Anton - Primary School Elvira Vatovec Prada Sv. Anton - Primary School Elvira Vatovec Prada]()
Primary School Elvira Vatovec Prada
![Sv. Anton - Guest house and pizzeria Pod kostanjem - Every day 7h - 23h Sv. Anton - Guest house and pizzeria Pod kostanjem - Every day 7h - 23h]()
Guest house and pizzeria Pod kostanjem - Every day 7h - 23h
![Sv. Anton - Sveti Anton - Guest house and pizzeria Pod kostanjem Sv. Anton - Sveti Anton - Guest house and pizzeria Pod kostanjem]()
Sveti Anton - Guest house and pizzeria Pod kostanjem
![Sv. Anton - Guest house Pod kostanjem Sv. Anton Sv. Anton - Guest house Pod kostanjem Sv. Anton]()
Guest house Pod kostanjem Sv. Anton
![Sv. Anton - Bus station and smaller parking area Sv. Anton - Bus station and smaller parking area]()
Bus station and smaller parking area
![Sv. Anton - Magistrala Vinol - Sveti Anton Sv. Anton - Magistrala Vinol - Sveti Anton]()
Magistrala Vinol - Sveti Anton
![Sv. Anton - Road through Sv. Anton Sv. Anton - Road through Sv. Anton]()
Road through Sv. Anton
![Sv. Anton - Sveti Anton - Communal house Sv. Anton - Sveti Anton - Communal house]()
Sveti Anton - Communal house
![Sv. Anton - Road to Kubed and Gracisce Sv. Anton - Road to Kubed and Gracisce]()
Road to Kubed and Gracisce
![Sv. Anton - Children's playground Sv. Anton - Children's playground]()
Children's playground
![Sv. Anton - Well Sv. Anton - Well]()
Well
![Sv. Anton - The house where the priest Avgustin Zlobec Worked Sv. Anton - The house where the priest Avgustin Zlobec Worked]()
The house where the priest Avgustin Zlobec Worked
![Sv. Anton - Memorial plate - Avgustin Zlobec Sv. Anton - Memorial plate - Avgustin Zlobec]()
Memorial plate - Avgustin Zlobec
![Sv. Anton - Church of St. Anton the Hermit <br> Interior Sv. Anton - Church of St. Anton the Hermit <br> Interior]()
Interior
Data
Municipality: KOPER (51794 population)
Settlements in the municipality:
Koper (25521 population), Sv. Anton (1971), Dekani (1632), Spodnje Škofije (1432), Hrvatini (1292),
Pobegi (1254), Prade (1233), Zgornje Škofije (989), Bertoki (985), Šmarje (897), Kampel (770), Vanganel (654), Gažon (624), Šalara (620), Bonini (610), Bošamarin (602), Kolomban (596), Čežarji (587), Škocjan (587), Plavje (565), Marezige (544), Manžan (506), Krkavče (323), Babiči (310), Puče (271), Koštabona (250), Gračišče (244), Črni Kal (229), Boršt (207), Tinjan (197), Srgaši (187), Pomjan (182), Osp (181), Jelarji (180), Kubed (179), Triban (173), Rižana (159), Popetre (150), Čentur (147), Premančan (142), Lopar (141), Podgorje (140), Pregara (138), Hrastovlje (134), Cerej (126), Kortine (122), Movraž (122), Grintovec (118), Grinjan (117), Barizoni (117), Rakitovec (114), Gabrovica pri Črnem Kalu (108), Dol pri Hrastovljah (97), Loka (96), Cepki (85), Kastelec (80), Poletiči (79), Črnotiče (79), Predloka (79), Zazid (78), Krnica (78), Montinjan (76), Labor (73), Bezovica (68), Brezovica pri Gradinu (66), Truške (66), Lukini (64), Topolovec (63), Gradin (62), Sočerga (60), Glem (59), Kozloviči (53), Trsek (51), Trebeše (51), Podpeč (47), Butari (46), Župančiči (45), Sirči (43), Smokvica (37), Bočaji (31), Dvori (29), Zabavlje (28), Socerb (27), Rožar (25), Praproče (25), Koromači - Boškini (23), Fijeroga (23), Abitanti (22), Dilici (15), Stepani (15), Maršiči (13), Šeki (12), Pisari (12), Galantiči (11), Belvedur (7), Tuljaki (6), Olika (5), Sokoliči (3), Karli (2), Brič (0), Močunigi (0), Brežec pri Podgorju (0), Peraji (0), Zanigrad (0)