The Municipality of Funtana was established in 2006 by separating from the Municipality of Vrsar.
There is material evidence that the territory of Funtana was inhabited as early as the late Neolithic period and that the settlement along the Funtana coast has continued uninterrupted since the 3rd or even 4th millennium BC. The existence of a distinct territorial area in the present-day Funtana region can be reliably documented from the Roman period. Among the many ancient findings, the most impressive intervention in the landscape is undoubtedly the remains of centuriation, the division of territory, which becomes evident when observing numerous aerial photographs showcasing the beauty of Funtana’s coastline and hinterland. Not only Kampaladanja but also other fields following the coastline still bear traces of the orthogonal system through their regular square divisions, a hallmark of the fundamental Roman intervention in the landscape. There are also communication routes that were largely determined by the regular quadrants of territorial division. The course of these cardo and decumanus roads is often revealed in the territory of Funtana, and parts of these roads are still in use today. From Funtana itself and its immediate surroundings (Valkanela, Mulandrija), some of the most important Roman regional roads in Istria originated, leading into its interior. In the area of present-day Zelena Laguna, an important Roman villa once stood, whose structures have been preserved and can be visited. This villa had a special aqueduct connecting it to the Perila or Funtana area, from which the town derives its name. During the medieval period, the areas of Funtana and Zelena Laguna formed an independent feudal estate. The ownership rights, including tithes and tax collection, belonged to the Bishop of Poreč from an early period, regardless of the authenticity of the so-called Euphrasian Privilege. During the early medieval period, former large coastal estates were mostly confirmed as church property. It is fairly certain that the estate with the villa, later overlaid by an early Christian church, passed from the Ostrogoths to the Byzantines and Carolingians before eventually coming under church ownership. The first medieval document mentioning the old primary economic activity of the bay confirms that Bishop Fulcherius of Poreč, in 1216, granted the bay between Plava and Zelena Laguna as a fief to D. Baldwin and his male heirs. The document, written in the Church of St. Maurus (now the cathedral), explicitly states that salt pans should be restored in the location where they previously existed (“ad aedificandas salinas, quae quondam fuerunt salinae…”), suggesting that salt production might have taken place here in antiquity and that the villa was part of this industry. It is worth noting that no settlement is mentioned at that time, but working on such large salt pans would not have been possible without a significant population. This indicates that settlements and late antique topographies changed over time, and a new settlement developed at the current location of Funtana.
Funtana is home to numerous movable and immovable cultural heritage items, many of which originate from churches and hold religious significance. A large Pala depicting the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and Saints dates to the early 17th century and features an early Baroque composition influenced by Venetian workshops, with depictions of Christ and the Virgin in a Renaissance style reminiscent of the Istrian painter Carpaccio. Many of Carpaccio’s works can be found in Koper, and it is evident that the Virgin Mary held special significance for Bernardo Borisi, who lived in Koper before constructing the kaštel in the early 17th century. Other notable artifacts include magnificent silver canonical tables, a golden chalice, and a statue of St. Anthony. During the 17th and 18th centuries, many people from present-day Albania and Montenegro settled in Funtana, fleeing from the Ottomans. These newcomers assimilated well with the local population and soon learned the language. Most were Catholics, though not all. Bishop Tomasini mentions 50 families in Funtana, and precise data for the years 1806 and 1851, provided by P. Kandler, report 182 and 287 inhabitants, respectively. Within less than 50 years, the population nearly doubled.
Both Slavic and Romance languages have been used in Funtana since ancient times. In the 19th century, Italian and Croatian were common. The Funtana school was originally Italian, but from 1897, it had a “parallel” system, allowing parents to enroll children in either Croatian or Italian classes. The school is associated with several historical events, including an intervention by Matko Laginja in 1892 regarding the appointment of a teacher.
Fishing played a crucial role in the economy, especially in the 19th century when much of the population faced periodic food shortages. Nearly every family owned a boat for fishing. By the late 1950s, agriculture and fishing accounted for over 70% of the local economy. However, by the 1980s, the economic structure had shifted dramatically in favor of hospitality and tourism, which then made up 70% of the economy, while agriculture and fishing fell below 10%. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and up until the beginning of World War I, Funtana saw a significant increase in registered fishing vessels. In 1881, there was just one boat with two crew members, but by 1912, there were 25 boats totaling 31 registered tons with 53 crew members, in addition to 22 smaller boats (numbered vessels) totaling 11 registered tons with 24 crew members. The development of Funtana’s fishing and coastal economy at the turn of the 20th century was among the most intense in Istria.
The construction of the port, later expanded and repaired, is documented as early as 1865, and the Funtana harbor was frequently mentioned in coastal trade and navigation records. The period between the two world wars was extremely difficult for Funtana, as it was for the rest of Istria under fascist repression. Croatian schools were closed, and some residents were forced to leave. Unfortunately, some Funtana inhabitants emigrated during the tragic events following the victory of the anti-fascist resistance (in which several Funtana residents participated, some of whom lost their lives) and the annexation of Istria to the motherland. Many wealthy landowning families left, although this emigration was not as pronounced as in more “Italianized” areas such as Vrsar. Most of the population remained, and new settlers arrived from other parts of Croatia and Yugoslavia, particularly from the Dalmatian hinterland during the 1950s.
Climate and Economy
The surroundings of Funtana consist of gently rolling hills interspersed with vineyards, olive groves, farmland, meadows, and pine and oak groves, some of which extend all the way to the sea. The climate is mild and Mediterranean, with an average temperature of +5°C in the coldest month (January) and +24°C in the warmest month (August). The sea is clean, and the swimming season lasts from May to October.
These favorable climatic and natural conditions, along with the proximity to continental Europe, have significantly contributed to the strong development of tourism. The residents of Funtana and its surroundings turned more intensively to tourism in the 1960s. Since then, numerous campsites and hotels have been built along the attractive coastline from Zelena Laguna to Valkanela, along with significant hospitality and tourism facilities in private accommodation. All the necessary infrastructure and amenities have also been developed to accommodate tens of thousands of guests who visit the Funtana coastline during the summer months.
