Pazin Castle (Kaštel)

The largest and best-preserved castle in Istria clings to the edge of a 100-metre limestone cliff above the Pazin Cave — an accident of geography that made it, for six centuries, the impregnable Habsburg administrative capital of inland Istria. First mentioned in 983, the current mass of towers and thick curtain walls dates mostly from the 15th and 16th centuries, when the counts of Pazin faced off against Venetian encroachment from the coast. Inside, the Ethnographic Museum of Istria arranges some of the finest folk costumes, ceramics and agricultural tools in Croatia across whitewashed vaulted rooms, while the Pazin Town Museum handles the political story. Don't rush the walk around the courtyard: from the eastern battlements you look straight down into the abyss that swallowed the Pazinčica river and inspired both Dante (who reputedly used it as a model for the Inferno's descent) and Jules Verne — the villain of Mathias Sandorf escapes down this very cliff. Pair the castle with the neighbouring cave trail (see the separate Pazin Cave entry) for a full morning. In late June the castle hosts the Jules Verne Days festival, with themed re-enactments and steampunk workshops for children. Café Kaštel in the vaulted ground-floor rooms does an excellent Istrian ombolo sandwich if you time it for lunch.