Ernest Benčić, known to all as Braco, owns a small shop on top of Borgo. It was in horrible shape for years, but now he is restoring it and plans to lease it out to the highest bidder. It used to be a butcher’s shop as witnessed by the old-fashioned lettering painted by hand above the door that spelled the name of the business in Italian and Croatian: “Macelleria – Mesnica.” Judging by the lettering, the sign was put up well before World War II. Someplace between terracotta and pink, the color of the shop was enchanting, too. In fact, it was quite close to the color of my own house. I just asked Braco which color would it be after restoration. “Gray,” he said point blank. “I offered to paint it in the original color, but the folks responsible for the preservation of cultural heritage in Istria told me that it must be gray.” As though any additional proof is needed that it is precisely those who are responsible for the cultural heritage that are systematically destroying it. To wit, they are removing color from the Venetian town. Croatian gray forever!

Addendum I (May 7, 2011)

Soon after I wrote this piece and posted it on the World Wide Web, I remembered Francesco Bandarin. Of Venetian origin, he is the director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Center. We used to be in touch in 2008 and 2009, when I still thought that something could be done about Motovun. My hope has evaporated, but I still forwarded this piece to him. Dealing with Croatian authorities is utterly hopeless, but I still have a little hope for UNESCO. Since early 2007, the hilltown is on the tentative list of World Heritage sites. One way or another, Bandarin’s origin is my greatest hope, though.

Addendum II (November 24, 2015)

In spite of my great hopes, Francesco Bandarin has not shown any interest in Motovun. My anxious pleas with him made no difference whatsoever. A bit surprised by his silence, I just searched the World Wide Web to see what I could learn about him. As it turned out, he served as the director of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre from 2000 to 2011, the year the original piece and the first addendum were written. He also served as UNESCO’s assistant director-general for culture from 2010 to 2014. Now he serves as a special advisor to the UNESCO director-general, as well as a professor of urban planning at the University of Venice. In other words, Bandarin is out of the game by now. And Motovun is on its way to be covered with Croatian gray from top to bottom. Alas, the tentative list of World Heritage sites remains as tentative as ever!