Kanfanar is a small town situated in the south-west part of the Istrian peninsula, 275 meters above the sea. It is only 8 km far from the sea’a closest site, the Lim Cave. It is dominated by a Mediterranean climate with pleasant temperatures in summer and mild in winters.
The town of Kanfanar now counts about 600 inhabitants. It was developed during the XVII. century when people from the nearby medieval village of Dvigrad moved in. There can still be visited the ruins of the castle of Dvigrad.The square of M.Zelka , in the town center, is surrounded by a supermarket, a post office, an emergency room and the seat of the municipality with its offices.
Kanfanar is also famous for the festival of S.Jakov which is held every summer on the last Saturday of July. There takes place the tempting exhibition of the Istrian ox ,called “boškarin”, which is an endangered species. The parade of oxen crosses the whole village up to the big scales where they are being weighed.
After that the animals are taken to the nearby field where their obedience gets tested. At the end there are rewarded the most beautiful, the heaviest and the most obedient boškarin. Besides this, there are also sporting and cultural events during the weekend, and the festival ends up with concerts and music in the main square.
Dvigrad is with no doubt the most remarkable cultural heritage of the area. There lay the ruins of a medieval village known with the name of Moncastel, which is mentioned in the historical sources, accompanied with the Parentino castle, as the so called “Castro Duo” or “Two Castles”(Dvigrad). It is the visitor’s favorite destination. The ruins let you imagine a hypothetical reconstruction of the town before its inhabitants were forced to abandon it of because of wars, plague and malaria.
Besides being a great historical and architectural monument, Dvigrad also offers every year during the months of May and June an international festival of Christian music concerts in the church of S.Sofia, where musicians from all over the world come to perform.
Kaštelir is a prehistorical site located between Kanfanar and Vidulini, west of the church of S.Agata. There can be found a cave with water sources which was crucial for the foundation of these cities. Near Kanfanar there are also many other caves and caverns that are still under study, where have been detected remains of prehistoric life.
One of these is the cave of Romualdo, situated near the Lim canal, which is 105 meters long and with a 47 centimeters high entrance only. As well as having interiorly decorated rooms,it is also the natural habitat of large colonies of bats and the of the characteristic troglobiont of Romuald.
For those who love free climbing, there are two suitable sites near Kanfanar: one is at the end of the Lim Cave, next to the road,and the other one is above Dvigrad, in the northern part of the Draga. Meanwhile, those who enjoy walking or cycling will find a variety of roads and paths that lead to the most beautiful interior of the Istrian peninsula. The 30 kilometers of cycle paths connect Kanfanar to the neighboring villages such as Dvigrad, Lim, Barat, Zminj and Svetvincenat.