Pazin sits roughly in the centre of Istria and serves as the peninsula's inland regional centre — well placed for combining a visit with truffle country or the coastal towns. The town's dramatic feature is the castle and gorge: a 130-metre vertical karst chasm where the Pazinčica river disappears underground, with a medieval castle perched on its rim that has been continuously occupied since the 9th century.
Beyond the gorge, Pazin is a modest, unhurried town — a useful stop rather than a destination in itself, but worth the half-day it takes to see properly.