Poreč finishes the Istrian ride on the west coast, and it does it with a small old town laid out on a peninsula by the Romans. The grid of streets is still there: the Decumanus, the main street, runs straight along the spine of the old centre, and it is paved in smooth worn stone that is slippery after rain, so walk rather than ride. With about ten thousand residents, Poreč is big enough to have everything a rider needs, and since it is a top holiday destination, in high season it is also loud, crowded and slow.
The reason to linger is the Euphrasian Basilica, a sixth-century church that survives with its Byzantine mosaics intact, and for that reason is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The gold mosaics of the apse are dazzling and the atrium is quiet. Venice ruled this coast for centuries, and you see it in the little palaces and the Gothic windows along the lanes. Local life sits on the waterfront, where fishing boats have to compete with ferries and pleasure craft for space.
Having ridden through the red-earth hills of the interior, you notice how different the coast feels: pine trees, limestone, a flat blue Adriatic and warm air that smells of resin. The coastal road north and south is busy in July and August, with caravans and tourists on rental scooters, and you will want to ride early. Inland, a few kilometres away, the traffic thins to almost nothing and the villages like Tar and Funtana give you a view of how Istria used to be: stone houses, vineyards, fig trees.
Practical things are easy. Poreč has fuel stations on its approaches, supermarkets, and a long line of restaurants where Istrian staples turn up: fresh fish, truffle pasta, the local prosciutto and a dry Malvazija white wine. Prices are higher on the waterfront and kinder a street back. Late September is a good moment to arrive, when the sea is still warm, the crowds have gone home, and the grape harvest begins in the hills behind you.