How do you spend one day in Piran?

You can walk across Piran in fifteen minutes, so one day is plenty to see it, as long as you slow down. Here is how a local would spend it: a morning on Tartini Square and the town walls, a wander through the old-town alleys, fresh seafood by the marina, an afternoon swim off the rocks, and sunset from the sea wall. This is the route I would give a friend, and my studio, Nika Horjak Ceramics, sits right in the middle of it.

Morning: the square, the walls, the view

Start with a coffee on Tartini Square, the marble heart of town, named after the violinist Giuseppe Tartini, born here in 1692. Then climb the medieval town walls: it is a short, steep walk and the reward is the best view in Piran, the red roofs stacked toward the bell tower with the Adriatic behind. The bell tower of St George's Church, finished in 1608, is a smaller copy of St Mark's Campanile in Venice.

Late morning: get lost in the alleys

This is the real Piran. Leave the seafront and wander up into the narrow lanes, where the houses lean close together and washing hangs between windows. You will pass small studios and shops; ours, Nika Horjak Ceramics, is on Goriška ulica 2, a few steps up from the marina, where you can usually watch pieces being made. Read why the houses stand so close together while you walk.

Afternoon: seafood, salt and a swim

• Lunch by the marina: this is the Adriatic, so fresh fish, calamari and a glass of Malvazija.
• Salt and oil: pick up Piran salt from the 700-year-old Sečovlje pans and some Istrian olive oil, the two most honest edible souvenirs of the town.
• A swim off the rocks and concrete sea wall near Punta, the point at the tip of town. Bring water shoes; there is no big sandy beach here.

Evening: the best sunset in town

Walk out to the Punta lighthouse and the sea wall as the light drops. Piran faces west into open water, so the sunset over the Adriatic is the quiet showstopper, and the town empties of day-trippers just as it gets beautiful.

Before you leave

If you want something handmade to remember the day, the studio is on your way back from Punta. Everything at Nika Horjak Ceramics is made on site, in glazes named for places around town; our guide to the best souvenir from Piran helps you choose. Staying longer, or comparing towns? See Piran or Portorož. The kiln and I are here most days.