Where Greatness Was Born - Mario Andretti's ancestral home

Photo courtesy of This Guy

If you know anything about me at all, it’s that I’m damn proud to count the incomparable Mario Andretti as my racing hero, and more importantly, my friend. He was born February 28, 1940 in what was then Montona, Italy, now due to post WWII redistricting of many national boundaries, called Motovun, Croatia.

Motovun is a medieval hilltop town that grew up on the site of an ancient city called Castellieri. It sits atop a hill 270 metres (886 feet) above sea level. On the inner walls are several coats-of-arms of different Motovun ruling families and two gravestones of Roman inhabitants (dating from the 1st century). Naturally its primary economic base came from farming (including thousands of acres of wine vineyards).

From 1278 it was taken over by Venice and surrounded by solid walls which remain intact today and used as a walkway with unique views over the four corners of Istria. The three parts of the town are connected by a system of internal and external fortifications with towers and city gates containing elements of Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance styles built between the 14th and 17th centuries. It is a typical example of Venetian, colonial architecture. Most of the local shops and businesses are at ground level, with all manner of houses and apartments above and around them, or also at street level. The ancient streets are paved with rock, pavestones, and in some cases marble. A small and entirely charming main square hosts the requisite church, and several other businesses. All in all, a dang charming place.

The Andretti family was flushed out of town to Lucca, Italy, into what was essentially a wartime relocation camp, prior to moving to the United States in 1955. They had connections in Pennsylvania and settled there, and Mario became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1964. The Andretti family home in Motovun still stands, although is currently unoccupied.

Bill Thornley photo

A recent vacation put me only an hour away from Motovun, so I had to visit (duh), and I spent most of a day there, which is easy to get to via rental or hire car/driver. Everyone in town knows of its most famous resident son is, and the house is easy to spot via the marble plaque affixed to the exterior courtyard wall. Walk into any shop in town, and you’re likely to see Mario’s photo on a wall; just ask “Casa Andretti?” and the locals will happily point you the way. The street is named Barbacan, but there is no house number. Wear your best walking shoes, as the cobblestone streets are old, and a bit rugged. You can drive up to the city gates, and then must park as only resident vehicles are allowed to drive in the inner city.

The Andretti boys learned how to hit this apex just right

You’ll be on the street where Mario and late twin brother Aldo used to race their bike or and there is a sweeping turn at the bottom of the hill that Mario calls “faster than Indy, and you really need to set up for a good apex.”

While in town, you can quickly visit a small terrace with a marvelous view called La Loggia. Mario describes this as the place where his father and many locals would gather “to solve all the world’s problems” and smoke, kibbitz, and gossip, I’m sure.

This fine young cannibal was also named Matteo, and he was born, lives, and obviously works in Motovun

After all this walking and fresh air, its lunchtime (which is never before noon here, and the closer to 1PM the better). and there are many lovely, family-owned restaurants at which to have a drink and/or lunch (I did both). The (terrific) food is generally Italianish with a local twist– lots of truffles on pasta, salad, or whatever. Look for the places that appear active and generally populated by local. Prices are reasonable. Wine is good.

The city is totally safe, and many locals speak passable English, although you’ll hear the local version of Croation, sprinkled with Italian here and there. The local currency is the Euro, with credit cards accepted most everywhere. There are some very quaint B & Bs and hotels there should you choose to make an overnighter out of it. As tourism is a major source of their economic base, these folks are friendly with tourists, and I suggest make time to wander in and around the whole town; many of the oldest and most historic spots and buildings are well marked with what they are and when they were erected.