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When it comes to planning sun-soaked summer getaways, Greece and Italy tend to be the obvious choices. And… it shows in the crowds. Earlier this season, The Guardian reported that Italy was struggling to contain mass tourism, even going so far as to fine tourists for blocking traffic—AKA, taking selfies—in certain hotspots. Meanwhile, Trentino-Alto Adige (where our editor is from!), has capped the number of overnight stays permitted within the region, in hopes of keeping tourism manageable.

Even major airlines can’t keep up. Business Insider reports that United and Delta have increased flight capacity to Europe by 31% and 13% respectively, yet still can’t hold pace with high demand. Couple that with soaring prices (the average roundtrip flight to Europe is going for over $1,200 this summer—a 37% increase from last year), and you’ve got the perfect storm for crowds, congestion, and overall chaos.

In other words? There’s no better time to look off the beaten path. Okay, fine, not truly off the beaten path — we’re talking about a coastal region in a long-beloved destination here. But one that isn’t quite so hammered by crowds.

Enter Istria — home to stunning water, charming old towns, and one of Croatia’s most significant wine-producing scenes. Well, known by Euro-travelers, it deserves a spotlight among the US’s vagabonds and sun seekers. In addition to its wealth of small towns and white sand beaches, Istria’s strategic location makes tacking on additional days to nearby cities (think Venice, Ljubljana, or Trieste) easier than ever.

You heard it here first—it’s your summer to discover the breathtaking Istria region of northern Croatia.

PART I — Rovinj: An Ideal Home Base

For a charming, well-placed home base, look no further than the Old Town of Rovinj. Located between the equally delightful towns of Porec and Pula, Rovinj provides access to some of Istria’s best restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, as well as boat tours, regional excursions, and more. Deemed one of the region’s most important fishing port cities, Rovinj’s Old Town is characterized by winding cobblestone streets that lead to the famed hilltop church of St. Euphemia.

While some of Istria’s more beautiful beaches lie along other parts of the coast, the pebble beach of Lone Bay is located just south of the Old Town, making a quick jaunt for a dip easier than ever.

Where to Eat & Drink

At Uproxx, we base a majority of our travel plans around great places to eat and drink—and thankfully, Rovinj is home to quite a few gems. While most places offer beautiful views and are simply charming AF, knowing exactly where to go is key. Here are four of our standout picks:

Augusto Coffee Shop:

While there are endless terraces for grabbing quick coffees and cappuccinos in Rovinj, Augusto Coffee Shop promises the best brew in the game. Slightly off the beaten path from the Old Town (while most definitely being accessible by foot), this hipster café whips up high-quality espresso-based drinks and filter coffee, as well as freshly pressed juices, sandwiches, and more.

For those uninterested in settling for mediocre caffeine breaks, this spot is your go-to.

Puntulina:

Many of Rovinj’s restaurants offer spectacular views of the harbor, though few boast the food quality and terraced seaside dining as that of Puntulina. Known for its fresh mussels, clams, and other shellfish, this seafood-forward restaurant is home to some of the best dining views in the city—be sure to snag a reservation around sunset for maximum viewing pleasure.

Spirito Santo Restaurant:

Located within the boutique Spirito Santo hotel, this eponymous restaurant is open to both guests and non-guests of the hotel—and for a break from the sea, this slightly offshore restaurant offers the best of both worlds. Airy and bright, the restaurant’s open-top interior offers fresh air and skylight views without the breeze (and crowds) of the sea, as well as one of the most extensive Croatian wine lists in town.

Pro tip: Be sure to ask for a swig of the locally-produced brandy for an herbaceous, stomach-settling digestif.

Mediterraneo Cocktail Bar:

Many—myself included—will make the mistake of heading to Valentino for late-night drinks on the water. However, do as the locals do and head to next door Mediterraneo instead. While Valentino highlights brand-embellished swag and overpriced bubbly cocktails, Mediterraneo offers much chiller vibes and a broader variety of drinks with equally eye-catching views. Think of it like less flash, with just as much—if not more—fun.

Where to Stay

Splurge: Adriatic Hotel by Maistra Collection

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNapiJzsrA5/?hl=en

Conveniently located right next to the Rovinj ferry terminal, this 4-star hotel offers breathtaking harbor views, luxurious rooms, freshly made à la carte breakfast, and more. The cherry on top? All hotel guests have access to the Wellness and Spa center at the Grand Park Hotel, which is also equipped with an indoor pool—perfect for any potentially unlucky rainy afternoons.

Budget Friendly: Villa Tuttorotto

For a quaint, no-frills stay in the heart of the Old Town, look no further than Villa Tuttorotto. Home to just seven rooms, this small-yet-charming property offers air-conditioned accommodations and daily breakfast, as well as an immense sense of hospitality from the friendly staff. The hotel’s most interesting feature? Its tiny-yet-impressive collection of ancient ruins tucked beneath the check-in entryway, visible through a glass window located beneath your feet!

PART II — Beyond Rovinj: What to Do in Istria

Best Beaches:

While Lone Bay is by far the most accessible for those staying in Rovinj, beautiful beaches are to be found all over Istria. Njive Beach in Premantura is home to a stunning cove and rugged beachscape surrounded by pine trees, while Girandella Beach in Rabac boasts a more classic vacation feel. Other options include Hawaii Beach in Pula and Koversada in Vrsar—the latter of which is the largest nudist beach in all of Europe.

Pula Ancient Ruins:

The journey from Rovinj to Pula takes about 35 minutes — to say the trek is worth it would be a massive understatement. In addition to beautiful beaches, Pula is most notably home to its plethora of ancient Roman buildings, most notably the Pula Arena. Deemed one of the best-preserved amphitheaters from Roman times, this impressive structure dates back to 27 BC and is one of the six largest Roman arenas standing today.

Although it may be tempting to skip the historical sites for soaking up the sun, when in Istria, a trip to this spot is definitely a must.

PART III — Istria: A Wine Lover’s Paradise

For wine lovers visiting Croatia, traveling around Istria is an absolute no-brainer. Istria is the country’s northernmost viticultural area, with vineyards planted across the entire peninsula. The area is widely impacted by the effects of the Adriatic Sea, Mirna River, and nearby mountain ranges. Here, white wine dominates production, with Malvazija Istarska (Malvasia) beloved as the region’s signature variety. International varieties such as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling are also cultivated across the region.

In terms of red wine, the local variety of Teran (a part of the overarching Refosco family) is making somewhat of a comeback, though many wineries also grow Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, too. Here are some must-see stops on the wine trail:

Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery — Stancija Meneghetti 1, 52211, Bale, Croatia

Nature-filled escape away from the hustle and bustle of Rovinj; spring for an overnight stay at the hotel property, or simply head to the tasting room to enjoy a flight of wines (and one of the region’s most epic cheese boards)

Dobrovac Winery — Karmelo ul. 1, 52210, Rovinj, Croatia

High-quality wine from a family-owned estate located within walking distance from downtown Rovinj; incredible views, thanks to the winery’s hillside location, and home to the region’s best (and most hospitable) sommeliers, Karin Rupena Perdec – a true authority on Istrian wine

Kozlovic Winery — Vale Momjan 78, 52460, Buje, Croatia

Hospitable hilltop winery with peaceful views overlooking the vines. The estate is taking an impressive stance on showcasing the potential of Malvazija Istriana – be sure to taste the expression aged in acacia wood

Kabola Winery — Kanedolo 90, Momjan, 52460, Buje, Croatia

Istria’s only certified organic winery with over 20 hectares of vines planted to Malvazija, a number of red varieties, and the rare, locally-planted clone of Muscat, Muškat Momjanski; many wines aged in Georgian-style qvevri, thanks to founder Marino Markezic’s fascination with terra cotta-aged wines after numerous trips to the country

Matošević Winery — Krunčići 2, 52448, Sveti Lovreč, Croatia

Traditional, family-owned winery with impressive expressions of Malvazija Istarka and the local red variety of Teran; one of the few Croatian wineries with decent-sized exportation to the US (New York & New Jersey), and if you’re lucky (and inquisitive), the staff may just offer you a taste of one of their many back-vintage bottles hiding in the estate’s underground cellars.

There’s no better way to end the trip than with a thought-provoking pour of 2008 Malvazija! Note: Matošević was one of the first wineries in all of Istria to experiment with acacia-aged wines, a practice that is widely used today.

When people rescue animals, they aren’t expecting a lot in return. Some animals come with a lot of trauma from previous abuse, some are still healing and need a little more physical TLC and others may just be terrified for people to get near them. It’s always a toss-up of what kind of rescue animal you’re going to get.

A stage four clinger who won’t let you out of their sight can get interesting, but you know what to expect. But one family who rescued a donkey didn’t realize they were going to be in for high-speed chases at any given moment. No, not with the law, but with the very donkey they rescued.

For some reason, Irvin the donkey gets a kick out of chasing his rescuers around his enclosure, and his human dad encourages his hijinks. When Irvin first came to the Solstice Sanctuary in Wisconsin, the donkey couldn’t walk and had to be carried out of the trailer. You wouldn’t know that now.

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The once scared and quiet donkey is now full of spunk and sass, keeping his humans on high alert for mischievous behaviors.

“Irvin is really obsessed with my husband, Bradley. It’s literally two kids playing. Irvin will chase him around the sanctuary. There’s so many times where I’ve been like, ‘Bradley, you can’t let him do that!’ And they’re doing it,” Angela told The Dodo.

Eventually, Angela and Bradley decided to get Irvin something he could chase around until his little heart was satisfied—a giant beachball. The ball is nearly as big as the donkey, but that doesn’t seem to stop him from kicking it and butting it around to chase. But Irvin isn’t all go-go–go. He stops and snuggles with his humans, and when Bradley’s away, he gets to have sneak trips into the house for treats.

If you’ve never seen a donkey live his best life pretending to be a pet dog rolling around with his favorite human, you should watch the video from The Dodo below.

Few things would disappoint a child more than missing out on a trip to Disney World. Good News Network reports that it would have happened to Jill Tobin-Montanez’s two children if not for their amazing father, Nathan Montanez. When the mom and her kids arrived at the airport in New Jersey to fly to Florida, they learned their flight had been canceled 15 minutes before departure.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t another flight available for days.

“I explained to my kids that sometimes life gives you lemons—and we’d try again to get to Disney another time,” she told Good News Network. Nathan had dropped his wife and kids off at the airport and was on his way home because he wasn’t going on the trip due to work.

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When he returned to the airport to pick them up, he had no intention of driving back home. They were going to Disney World.

“When we got in the car, all defeated, he asked if we were ready to go. We said ‘yup,’ thinking we were going home. Then he told us to get ready for a long drive,” Jill told Good News Network.

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Now, that’s a dad committed to making his children happy. He drove 1,000 miles over 17 hours, down most of the East Coast, until they reached sunny Florida. The family arrived in Orlando at midnight, and Jill and the kids were able to visit the park the next day. Nathan got to hop back in the car and drive back to New Jersey. The good news is that he only missed a day of work.

“This dad is our rock!” Jill said. “Not many people in this world would do that. And the kids absolutely appreciate what he did for them.”

As any parent will tell you, childhood goes by way too fast, and in the blink of an eye, your toddler is graduating from high school, so you have to enjoy being a parent while you can. Kudos to parents like Nathan Montanez, who know there is only so much time to help your children have a wonderful childhood, and only so many opportunities to take your child to Disney World.

Unfortunately, canceled flights have become a severe problem in America, making vacations stressful for many Americans. Recently, the airline industry has been hit by a perfect storm that has made air travel less reliable than at any time in recent history.

One of the big reasons is that the Federal Aviation Administration has dealt with staffing issues. According to ABC News, the FAA expects to lose 1,300 controllers during the fiscal year 2023 due to retirements, promotions and other losses. Due to a pause in training over two years due to COVID-19, it has taken much longer to certify their replacements, leaving many airports short-staffed.

Airlines have also needed help with staffing after the downsizing that happened during COVID-19. During that time, they also decommissioned many planes, reducing capacity.

Climate change is also causing many problems with air travel, and that problem doesn’t show any sign of abating. “More heat in the atmosphere, thermodynamics 101—we’re going to have more thunderstorms,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told Politico.

The dating world might be constantly evolving, but true romance is timeless. That’s why viewers young and old alike are swooning over a 78-year-old man’s heartfelt airport proposal, one that was 60 years in the making.

As reported by a local Fox affiliate, Dr. Thomas McMeekin had been “admiring” Nancy Gambell from afar since they met in high school in California. Ultimately, despite going on a few dates, the pair went their separate ways by going to different colleges and marrying other people. Aside from running into one another at their 50th high school reunion, McMeekin and Gambell never pursued one another.

That is, until 10 years later, as their 60th high school reunion approached.

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In Tampa, where McMeekin works as a dermatologist, his staff had seen him “acting like a giddy fool” all week long. McMeekin revealed that Gambell personally reached out to say that she was “looking forward” to seeing him again, which inspired him to arrange a “surprise” for when Gambell landed at that airport.

Surrounded by conspiring office workers there to capture the sweet moment, McMeekin approaches Gambell with flowers, a necklace with both of their birthstones and a smile from ear to ear. They share a warm embrace, then McMeekin walks Gambell over to take a seat, where he gets down on one knee (propped up by an adorable pillow) to propose.

@angelial.fedrick3 Rekindled love after 60 years! ❤️ There’s hope for us all! Congratulations Nancy and Dr McMeekin ❤️🥰🤗#DrMcMeekin #AAD #dermatology #truelovestory #retirement ♬ original sound – Angelia L. Fedrick

“Nancy, It’s been 60 years since we first met. Fifty-six years since we first dated. Ten years since I saw you last. And 20 days since we reconnected. You have always been the one I’ve had a crush on since your cheerleader days, which brings a smile to my face, that makes my heart skip a beat. For the last three weeks, I have thought of you every day, every hour, and I’ve longed to see you again…You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner, a lover and a friend,” McMeekin tells Gambell as he pops the question.

Honestly, the teary look on Gambell’s face, the squeals of delight from McMeekin’s staff, McMeekin’s voice breaking as he pours his entire heart out—it all belongs in a rom-com. The video received praise from millions of online viewers who were reminded that love could come in any chapter of life.

“I bet they see each other as they were in high school. Remembering all the fun they had. Beautiful,” one person wrote.

Another added, “They were meant to be…When two souls are meant to be they will find each other.”

Indeed, even those of us who don’t believe in soul mates or destiny have witnessed, or possibly experienced firsthand, those moments when the heart seems to know the exact right next move. Following those impulses is often both exhilarating and a little frightening, but boy does it remind us of how wondrous life is.

And as McMeekin and Gambell have shown us, it can happen at any time, to equally beautiful effect.

Bun B was visibly impressed by the sneakers revealed to him on Uproxx‘s latest installment of Fresh Pair, and the Houston rapper enjoyed another surprise on Tuesday, July 11.

“About last night..got a call in the middle of dinner to meet Matt from @astorclubnyc at an Uno game. Random. Turns out it’s @questlove party with food from cannabis chef/educator @thechefnikki which was amazing. Quest calls @jazzbeezy who I hadn’t sent in years. On my way out he says ‘I have to have a picture with you and Taylor,’” Bun B captioned an Instagram photo of him shaking hands with Taylor Swift.

The UGK legend continued, “Who turns out to be THE Taylor. As in @taylorswift who couldn’t have been more kind and personable. I’ve only ever met 2 other people who make you feel this seen and heard in an interaction before and that’s @barackobama and @beyonce My question is does this make me a Swiftie?”

Bun B met Swift at an opportune time, considering she’s probably still riding the high from releasing Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) last Friday, and celebrating its arrival across two The Eras Tour shows in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday and Saturday, July 8. (Suddenly, all we can think about is whether Bun B can somehow finesse this into making Trill Burgers a sponsor of The Eras Tour.)

Swift will next take The Eras Tour to Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15. See her remaining North American dates here.

The 12-time Grammy winner also recently added more international dates for 2024. See them here.

Emily Blunt has a big movie out next weekend. No, it’s not Barbie. It’s the other one, the one that’s unexpectedly super risqué. In the already rapturously received Oppenheimer, he plays Kitty, the not always happy scientist wife of the “father of the atomic bomb.” Hope you enjoy her work because after that — and a couple other movies, like the Pain Hustlers, with Chris Evans, and David Leitch’s The Fall Guy, with Ryan Gosling, you might not see her on screen for a while.

As caught by Vanity Fair, Blunt went on the podcast Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi, where she dropped a bit of a bombshell. “This year I’m not working,” she revealed. She had a good reason, too.

“I worked quite a bit last year, and my oldest baby is nine, we’re in the last year of single digits,” referring to the kids she has with her husband John Krasinski. “I just feel there are cornerstones to their day that are so important when they’re little,” she added. “And it’s, ‘Will you wake me up? Will you take me to school? Will you pick me up? Will you put me to bed?’ And I just need to be there for all of them for a good stretch. And I just felt that in my bones.”

Blunt admitted that accepting roles that keep her from her kids has an “emotional cost,” leaving her “very prone to guilt.” She went on, “I think maybe all mothers are. You’re just prone to feeling bad for, God forbid, wanting something outside of being a mother. I am huge advocate for it—I’m a huge advocate for women being ambitious. I love the word ambition. It’s just dreams with purpose, that’s all it is, it’s not an ugly word.”

So enjoy watching Blunt in Oppenheimer, which Tom Cruise thinks you should do on a double with Barbie.

(Via Vanity Fair)

Detroit duo Tee Grizzley and Skilla Baby join forces in the video for “Gorgeous,” a rambunctious single highlighted by a thumping instrumental and typically clever lyrics from the Motor City MCs. The title becomes a refrain that continues throughout the track as they detail how gorgeous their jewelry and their women are.

“Gorgeous” appears on Controversy, the Motown tag team’s April project. The project was Grizzley’s second joint mixtape after he teamed up with “White Lows Off Designer” collaborator Lil Durk in 2017 for Bloodas. It also marks the “First Day Out” rapper’s third project in just two years, following the two 2022 mixtapes Half Tee Half Beast and Chapters Of The Trenches. The latter was a high-concept storytelling album presenting a 360-degree view of a string of various characters and was accompanied by a visual component visualizing each of the various narratives.

Skilla Baby, meanwhile, is a newer artist from Detroit who’s making a name for himself with an unrelenting stream of high-impact projects, including three in 2022 — an album, Detroit Raised Me, a mixtape, Crack Music 2, and an EP, We Eat The Most. The work ethic paid off with some high-profile collaborations, including with Chicago compatriot G Herbo on “B’Cuz.”

Watch Tee Grizzley and Skilla Baby’s “Gorgeous” video above.

Tee Grizzley is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

While discussing his iconic roles with GQ, Mads Mikkelsen revealed that all of us should be challenging his Casino Royale co-star Daniel Craig to No-Limit Hold ‘Em.

“Everybody knew how to play poker around that table, except for one, Daniel,” Mikkelsen said. “He had no clue. He sucked. And it was the worst thing ever that he, of all people, had to beat [my character] and win all my money. It was like, ‘This is wrong.’ Well I got him back with the rope, so that’s good.”

Ah, the rope. Great. Good to relive that cinematic moment.

Naturally, it’s a little odd to learn that James Bond is bad at poker, but 1) acting! and 2) it’s possible that Craig has since learned how to play poker really well, and this is a long con wherein Mikkelsen convinces people he’s an easy mark but he’s actually sandbagging to get you to up the ante. Beware. Actors are crafty.

Mikkelsen also praised his co-star, noting that he was game to improvise and test boundaries when it came to their scenes together (especially that torture scene). He also said out loud what we’ve known since the movie came out in 2006:

“The [poker] hands we are playing are insane, so if you’re a poker player, you’ll go, ‘What?’ We just wanted to make the nature of the betting believable, but the hands obviously had to be easily recognizable for an audience that doesn’t play poker, so they were quite crazy hands.”

An ace in the flop and the river, giving Le Chiffre a full boat, another player a lesser full boat, another player a flush, and Bond a royale flush? Sure, Jan. Talk about bad beats.

(via GQ)

Despite being fired by Fox News earlier this year, Tucker Carlson is still causing all kinds of legal trouble for his former network.

On Wednesday, a man named Ray Epps filed a lawsuit accusing Carlson and Fox News of defamation after the host repeatedly regurgitated a bizarre conspiracy theory about the Marine Corp. veteran. On his show, Carlson accused Epps — a two-time Trump voter — of being a government agent who orchestrated acts of violence during the Jan. 6th insurrection in order to essentially frame Trump and his supporters. Epps took part in the mob that entered the Capitol building that day, encouraging others to march with him and push past police barricades. But, according to his lawyer, he did so only after listening to Fox News pundits — namely Carlson — tell viewers that the election was stolen and MAGA patriots should protest its results in Washington D.C.

The conspiracy surrounding Epps’ role in the attack came after the Arizona native escaped federal charges lobbed at fellow insurrectionists despite video footage proving he was on the front lines of the assault. He’s since been questioned by authorities and the Jan. 6th committee on his role in the siege and, in May, the Justice Department informed Epps he would be facing criminal charges at some point in the future.

Until then, Epps is spending his time going after Fox News and Carlson for damaging his character, spreading baseless conspiracies that led to death threats against his family and the loss of his business. He’s currently seeking an unspecified amount in damages but he’s filed his suit in the Superior Court in Delaware — the same court that ordered the network to pay a $787.5 million settlement in a defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems.

“Just as Fox had focused on voting machine companies when falsely claiming a rigged election, Fox knew it needed a scapegoat for January 6th,” Epps’ complaint reads. “It settled on Ray Epps and began promoting the lie that Epps was a federal agent who incited the attack on the Capitol.”

“Ray is taking the next steps to vindicate his rights by seeking accountability for Fox’s lies that have caused him and Robyn [his wife] so much harm,” his lawyer said.

It’s almost as if fact-checking bonkers Parler threads before spewing them all over national television as undeniable truth is actually good journalistic practice that can save your network millions of dollars. Who knew?

You can watch the recent 60 Minutes segment on Ray Epps below. Seems like he has a pretty strong case!

(Via The NY Times)

This year’s festival season is already well on its way to becoming one for the books — as festival organizers set up for bigger and better programming on all fronts to make up for lost time during the pandemic. From Lightning in a Bottle’s “transformational” mega-dance party, Sunset Music Festival’s vibrantly fashioned house and bass heads, to the wet and wild luxuries of Splash House, some of this summer’s best parties are already behind us. But fear not, there’s a whole lot more in store.

Defected Records’ flagship festival, Defected Croatia, returns August 3-8. Known for uniting world-class talent from across the globe, Defected Croatia will treat this year’s attendees with six days of house music hedonism in Tisno, Croatia. Set across four stages overlooking the Adriatic coast, Defected Croatia will ring in its seventh edition event with over 100 artist performances, including A-Trak, Honey Dijon, Hannah Wants, Honeyluv, LP Giobbi, Nightmares On Wax, SG Lewis, Sam Divine, TSHA, and more.

Oh, and did we mention there are 24 boat parties? Seems like a lot of boat parties.

If you want to swap a day of luxury partying at Defected Hotel or the beach cabins, you can choose to dance offshore on one of the four boat parties each day. Each boat features a two-story floating dancefloor oasis topped with its own bar, so it’s basically the best hangover rally ever. Perfect after nights spent partying at the festival’s official after-party club — Barbarellas — until 6 am each night.

With a week-long program of all things house, Defected Croatia wouldn’t be complete without an impressive wellness program. With daily yoga classes and mindfulness sessions to help balance out the late nights, 5,000 attendees will be flourishing under the Croatian sun this August.

To help get you ready for what to expect, we gathered up some photos from last year’s Defected Croatia. Let’s just say, the FOMO from last year is real and we’re not about to have it again for this year. Get your passes for Defected Croatia here, check out the photos below, and prepare yourself for the week-long extravagant house music spectacle.