The Gulf of Kvarner is a large, deep bay in the northern Adriatic that separates Istria from Dalmatia. It is a place where mountains and sea, cultures and lifestyles collide. At its western end, the seaside towns of Opatija and Lovran nestle along a narrow meandering of heavily forested coastline at the foot of the rugged Ucka mountains. Attracted by it's mild climate and lush Mediterranean vegetation, nineteenth-century Vienna developed the area as the capital's winter resort and summer playground. The rich and famous - among them musicians, writers and European aristocrats - came to stroll along the seaside lungomare and dine in the sumptuous salons of its grand hotels and villas. It was the Habsburg's answer to the Cote d'Azure, and they called it the Kvarner Riviera.

More than a century later, Opatija still retains an aura of bygone gentility. The pastel, neo-Classical facades of its hotels and summer residences have been restored to their original opulence and grandeur. The palms, cypress and oak trees that punctuate the manicured lawns and flower beds of its parks and gardens are as luscious and stately as ever. The health spas and resorts that made the Riviera once so popular with European royalty now host wellness centres, yachting clubs, sailing regattas and marinas.

A few kilometres to the south of Opatija lies the town of Lovran with its quiet little fishing harbour, quayside restaurants, tree-lined boulevards and turn-of-the-century seafront villas. From the harbour, a flight of stairs leads uphill to the old city gates and original town square, built in medieval times by the Barons of Pazin. A stroll through the passageways and time-worn stone portals of this sleepy little town reveals Baroque-style houses, a medieval city tower, vine-covered loggias and the fourteenth-century Church of St. George, Lovran's patron saint.

The environs of Lovran are well worth exploring. Ferries from Brestova, a 30-minute drive to the south, sail daily for the island of Cres. Rocky and mountainous in the north, the road from Porozina to Cres Town offers spectacular sea views as it twists and turns over the vast, largely uninhabited island landscape. A cliffhanger detour to the village of Beli will take you to the bird sanctuary and nature reserve of Caput Insulae, home to the endangered griffon vulture. Day trips to Kastav and Veprinac, perched high on the chestnut-covered slopes of the Ucka mountains, are ideal for hiking and picnics.