Where to stay in Istria w/o a car & Italian is co-language

I have not visited Istria but have been to Croatia four times, and hope to get there next! Since you plan to rely on public transport, I would recommend a coastal town as I think the bus service will be better. If coming from Venice on the ferry, you could start with Rovinj, which is very popular, or Pula, which is larger and a more workaday city (sounds like what you described). Maybe one week along the coast and one inland would be nice. I’d look into Porec, too, since it is closer to the popular hill towns than Pula.
Bus schedules are pretty easy to come by online, but you may need to supplement with private drivers here and there.
I’m not sure if anywhere in Istria would have more Italian spoken than other parts of Istria, but I would be very surprised if you did not encounter both locals and visitors to converse it with. English is more widely spoken than in Italy in my experience.

Thanks so much -- your suggestions are very helpful! I was considering Pula, but I think Rick Steves said it was smoggy and kind of grungy, which isn't the vibe I'm going for.

Two weeks is enough time to get a good run of Croatia, including a few destinations. A couple thoughts based on your preferences, and also going exclusively public transportation:

General: Public transportation generally means bus, especially in shoulder season. Bus service is good. FlixBus/Brioni lines are good at connecting destinations, but you’ll be relying on local busses if you feel like day tripping which can be limiting.

Istria: Is there a reason you’re focusing here? I ask because transportation wise it’s kind of the clumsiest. The headline destinations also aren’t the ideal fit based on your description. Rovinj is lovely, but is mostly a big resort. I haven’t been to Pula, but yeah RS description of it is not super attractive. Motovun would only be accessible by bus, and if you’re in Italy you probably have better opportunities for classic hill towns. The town that best fits your vibe is probably Piran, over the border in Slovenia. If you’re set on Istria, Piran is way less touristy, more interesting and fun to explore for a few days. It’s practically Italy. But either way, from a sightseeing perspective these places can be relatively thin gruel. In the big picture, I feel like Istria is usually an outlier for most itineraries and is better if you’ve already seen what else Croatia has to offer.

Again, based on your overall wants, I think other areas might be a better fit for you and with two weeks would work well. For coastal destinations, I’d look at Split with a few days on Hvar possibly. Not everyone loves Split (I thought it was pretty rad) but it undeniably has things to see and can be a good jumping off point for Hvar, and Trogir is an easy bus ride away. You’ll get a lot out of it.

I also find the capital cities of Zagreb and Ljubljana to be some of the most easygoing, fun cities in Europe. Ljubljana’s explosive popularity is testament to this. But, chill “find your favorite coffee house and hang” vibes? This is where you’ll find them. Both city centers are largely pedestrianized, with beautiful architecture, lovely folks and very livable neighborhoods. They both have some terrific museums, but nothing so heavy duty. Another plus is getting between these places and connecting with Italy (best by bus) are pretty straightforward. I think focusing on these areas versus Istria gives you the A-level experience with less work.

Thanks so much for all of your information!

The main reason I have been focusing on the Istrian Peninsula is because Italian is one of the official languages, and I speak fairly fluent Italian. I'm trying to find options that cost less than Italy for a longer stay, have an Italian feel to them, aren't dependent on tourist income, and are mostly sunny in the shoulder season. I've been looking at coastal cities, but thanks for mentioning Zagreb and Ljubljana.

Is driving off the table entirely? I managed without a car on my previous trips, as they comprised mostly town to town journeys and island hopping by ferry/catamaran. I’ve always read Istria is better with a car.
Heading south means more travel, but if know your Italy plans we can make other suggestions, as ferry routes travel across the Adriatic. It’s hard to strike the balance in Croatia of not touristy yet still attractive.

You seem to be an Italophile like me, so if costs is a big driver of this plan, then I’d say just go to less popular places in Italy, where you will find costs comparable with Croatia. Based on your love of Lucca, I’d say check out Senigallia in Marche.

I do think Italian would be commonly spoken in southern Croatia as well, just based on anecdotes from places we’ve stayed, hosts who spoke Italian, mention of some islands filling with Italians in summer, etc.

Thanks for the suggestion, we will look into that. :) Has anyone been to Puglia? I'm just wondering how that compares to either the Marche or Croatia.

Puglia, Marche, and Croatia all have some similarities being on the Adriatic, but all with their unique flavor. I’ve been to Marche once, Puglia twice, Croatia 4x so happy to answer questions about itineraries. Marche has the smallest coastal options, but it does have some lovely coastal areas. The Monte Conero area reminded me of the pebble beaches of Croatia. Lots of hill towns in Marche, like Istria.

Thanks for that information. I'll check it out!

Also just so you are not surprised, Croatia is one of the best countries in the world for speaking English where it is not an official language. Depending on where you go in Istria, most people probably won't know Italian. Only one small town is majority Italian speaking which is Grožnjan so I would add that to your list. In places like Rovinj Italians are only 10% of the population.

I am not saying you cannot try as it is an official minority language but do not be surprised if people do not speak it.

I’ve been to Istria more times than I can remember. Yes, Italian is an official language, cities are signposted with their Croatian and Italian names. The Italian stops there, however. You might get some tourist workers who speak Italian but not on a local level.

As mentioned,Istria without a car is tough. We always have a car. The roads are great and it’s easy to get around.

As for places to base yourself…Pula is a big no. Rovinj has turned into Disneyland. Porec is also over touristed now.

Look at Fazana (the Brijuni islands are a lovely escape) or Novigrad. Vrsar is a small gem too. Look at Bale which has undergone a recent overhaul but is slightly inland. I also think Piran is divine but, it is also very touristy now.

If you’re really not getting a car, look at Lovran. A regular bus runs up the east side of the peninsula to lovely Opatija.

Thanks to you both for the information and suggestions!

*Ivan, thanks for the reality check. Do you know why the one town speak that much Italian when none of the others really do?
*Emily, thanks for the suggestions on towns. We may have to think about renting a car, and I'll look into the towns you mentioned.

Nancy

Yes, it's historical - Istra used to be part of Italy but with a large Croatian/Slovenian population, mostly inland. Italians left after it became part of Yugoslavia. Remaining Italian part is basically the northwestern part of the province. The history is not comfortable, but now they have minority rights in the area.

I also like Pula, especially Verudela area on the coast. It is very much a working city though. You may enjoy staying in one of the villages more.