I recommend that you spend your time in the magical land of Istria by visiting the aquariums in Pula, Porec and Umag. The aquarium in Pula is located in the 123 year-old Austro-Hungarian fortress Verudela. The exhibition is held in 50 swimming pools on the ground floor, in a trench and on the first floor of [...]
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Istra Terra Magica – the magical land of Istria is a peninsula which was formed as a result of two mainland territories colliding way back in the ancient times. Nowadays, the western Istrian landscape consists of plains; the centre of the peninsula is covered with numerous hills and the eastern part of it is known [...]
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Christmas and New Year holidays are right around the corner. St. Nicholas’ Day is behind us and I hope all of you that behaved nicely received a gift. I suppose now you are thinking about Christmas gifts for your dearest ones. My recommendation is to make something yourself; that is the most beautiful gift of [...]
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Christmas is the most joyful Christian holiday with a long tradition in Istria. The customs here date way back to the ancient times: a specific type of pasta (posutice) and codfish (bakalar na bijelo) are eaten alongside a fireplace (Istrian ognjisce) on Christmas Eve. The entire family gathers around the lavishly prepared Christmas table after all [...]
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Although December has just begun, I can rightfully say that the Christmas and New Year’s holidays are right around the corner. I have always loved this time of year; decorating the Christmas tree and exchanging gifts, Christmas carols, towns and their holiday decorations, smiling faces and most of all the comfort and warmth we feel [...]
Monday, November 30, 2009
(1) Did you know that grape vine was brought to Istria by the old Greek and Phoenicians? As we have already mentioned in some posts on winery in Istria, favourable climate and soil have greatly contributed to cultivating grape vine, whereas the Histris started growing it and had with time perfected wine. We have also [...]
Thursday, November 26, 2009
First story: Until 1632, when four village parishes were founded, the area of Labin parish was considerably larger than today. The villages are: Skitaca, Sv. Lovrec, Sv. Martin and Sv. Nedjelja. Apart from the diminished area of jurisdiction, the Labin parish also had less income. Therefore, laments were directed towards the bishop and Venice mentioning [...]
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
If someone asked me to tell them my favourite animal, one of the answers, alongside the squirrel and the hedgehog, would definitely by the donkey (tovar). Nowadays donkeys are raised as a hobby and there are 250 registered ones in Istria. Upon you arrival to Rabac, I certainly recommend visiting the Liburnia reserve in Rasa [...]
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
If you have explorative spirit, Istria is definitely the destination for you. The sea and the enjoyment will not leave you indifferent, and if physical activity is what you seek, you are still at the right place. Today I will remind you of two Istrian mountains – Ucka and Cicarija. The Ucka Nature Park and the [...]
Monday, November 16, 2009
Apart from the legends about the giants, there are also those about the fairies which are related to Istria. Such is the one about the building of the Arena in Pula. According to the legend, one night, the fairies had decided to build their own town, Divic town, and they carried the stones from U?ka [...]
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Typical and the most specific wine sort in Istria is malvazija (malvasia). It only grows in Istria and it is a synonym for Istrian white wine. It varies from wheat to golden yellow colour. The scent of malvasia first reminds one of acacia and the content of its basic ingredients makes it medium to high [...]
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
White, grey and red, Istria is the land of diversity, unique on the Mediterranean. A heart-shaped piece of land, deeply submerged into the blue Adriatic Sea is a secret garden of unbelievable beauties. Therefore, do not hesitate – enter that secret garden and discover this magnificent landscape. The small Istrian towns, scattered along the coastline [...]
Monday, October 26, 2009
Romualdo from Ravena was an interesting persona. Sometime around the beginning of the last century, around 1000 A.D., he came to Istria and built a monastery of St. Mihovil near village Klostar in the vicinity of Lim bay. There were many tales about Romualdo among the people. When this former Benedictine arrived to Istria, he [...]
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The smell of roasted chestnut is present all across Lovran and its surrounding area again this autumn. For more than three decades the Lovran marunada, a festivity dedicated to the harvest of chestnuts during which cake, pastry and old dishes made of this special kind of chestnut grown only in this area in Croatia are [...]
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The last Sunday in October, 25 October, is reserved for the Istrian brandy festival in the smallest town in the world, Hum, again this year. Come to Istria, to Hum and warm up with various types of brandies. Brandies are usually made from grape pomace and aromatic herbs or various fruit are added. The best [...]
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
In Istria, Truffle days will take place from 1 to 31 October. Throughout this period, in restaurants and taverns in the heart of Istria white truffle dishes will be served (Tuber Magnatum Pico). Truffle is a tuberous outgrowth which grows in the ground, it is of intense smell and unusual, plain shape. It is a [...]
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Today I have decided to write about the two “golden” liquids in Istria: perhaps you already know what I’m talking about; olive oil and wine, of course. Olive oil makes an excellent addition to various dishes; it is the most valuable type of fat in human nutrition, a product for body care, a medicine curing [...]
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Pula, a town full of the Roman sights in the very south of the Istrian Penninsula, is the Hand made fest host for the seventh time. A handicraft festival full of imagination and various designs will take place in the Croatian Defenders House in Pula from 16 to 18 October 2009. This festival attracts numerous interested [...]
Friday, October 2, 2009
Teran was once wide-spread and the most important variety of dark grapes in Istrian vineyards. The first description of teran was given by Istrian agronomist dean Petar Stankovic in 1825. There are various biotypes that differ according to the size and shape of grape and berry, compactness, stem colour, quality, ripening period… There are two [...]
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Its majesty the truffle has its own celebration on special days, and it definitely deserves it. This year it will be celebrated from 4 October to 8 November during the 16th Truffles Festival. Its particular taste presents a genuine fantasy for gourmets. It is said that a person either likes truffles or not, and I, [...]
Marketing Specialist in Riviera Poreč Inc. Poreč is Nives’s birthplace, and she has longtime experience in tourism. She has been working at Riviera since 1996, and she writes about events and curiosities of her home town on Valamar blog…
Associate in Marketing in Rabac Inc. On Valamar blog, she writes about subjects related to Rabac, the town she has private and business relations already 25 years. She graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka and fluently speaks three foreign languages…
Marketing officer at company Dubrovnik-Babin kuk Inc. Nike is from Dubrovnik, she speaks three languages, and she started her carrier at hospitality desk in Valamar Dubrovnik President Hotel. Naturally, on Valamar blog, she writes about things related to her town Dubrovnik…
Lorena, a sales and marketing officer at Zlatni otok Inc., was born in a small town of Smokvica near Novi Vinodolski and she is 27. With this blog, she will regularly inform us about interesting things and events on the “golden island” (zlatni otok) of Krk…Kids learn sports while you relax. During your family holiday, treat your children to a week of professional coaching at one of Valamar’s fun sports programs. Take your pick from a range of sports including sailing, basketball, mountain biking, handball, beach volleyball, dancing and go-karting. While the kids enjoy learning new skills with professional players from the world of sport, parents can chill out with a host of special treats in Pore?.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010