Istria Foodie Experience (6 Days – 5 Nights)
DAY 1. WELCOME TO ISTRIA
We will meet you in Venice, at Pula airport or at the meeting point defined by yourselves, to then accompany you to your hotel in Rovinj. Once you have checked in, our guide will tell you about the programme, to then go out for dinner and together enjoy the charms of an evening in Rovinj.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Rovinj
Meals: Dinner
Activity: Walk around Rovinj
Transfer time: Depending on the meeting point. From Pula, 40 minutes.
DAY 2. TRUFFLES & WINE (Motovun, Livade, Grožnjan”)
After breakfast we head to Motovun, a medieval village and one of the most unique of Istria, nestled into a hillside with views of the region’s valleys. Gastronomic experts agree on just one thing, in gastronomy truffles are a step above. An unusual bulb hidden underground, with no plant above it, making it more difficult to find. Only a well-trained dog (or a pig) can sniff it out. Truffles grow in grey-coloured ground, in the damp and woody area of Motovun in the Mirna valley. It is precisely there we are heading with a truffle guide and his well-dressed dogs in search of his majesty the truffle. During our hour-long walk through the forest our expert guide will tell us all the secrets and details about truffles. After this brilliant search, our truffle guide will prepare a truffle lunch for us.
Our day will conclude in one of the best wineries of Istria, obviously tasting white, red and sweet wines.
We will return to Rovinj to rest. Dinner is up to you tonight, and you will therefore be free to explore the town of Rovinj with its fantastic selection of local restaurants.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Rovinj
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Activity: A hike to the villages of Motovun and Grožnjan, truffle hunt and wine-tasting
Transfer time: 2 hours
Day 3. FISH & OLIVE OIL
After breakfast, we will start exploring Rovinj. We will experience the charm of its narrow medieval streets and the warm Mediterranean ambience. The main Santa Eufemia church safeguards relics from the saint and is one of the most beautiful baroque achievements in Istria. From the church plateau there is a wonderful view of the open sea and numerous islets in the distance. A visit to the Rovinj Town Museum and many of the town’s galleries completes our cultural experience.
Once we have finished our tour round Rovinj we will head to the Lim Fjord, a true natural park given its virgin Mediterranean vegetation and the extraordinary wealth of its marine life. This Fjord spreads 10 kilometres inland. Natural conditions provide the opportunity to fish for many different types of fish and mussels. Before lunch, we will navigate around the Lim Fjord, where we will have the opportunity to visit the oyster farm and taste fresh oysters. A lunch menu in which the sea’s resources will play the starring roles.
After lunch, we will visit olive groves and oil mills, were we will become familiar with the processes involved in the production of olive oil and have the opportunity to taste the best olive oil according to experts.
We then return to Rovinj to rest. Dinner is up to you tonight, and you will therefore be free to explore the town of Rovinj with its fantastic selection of local restaurants.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Rovinj
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Activity: A walk around Rovinj, sailing around the Lim Fjord and olive oil tasting
Transfer time: 1 hour
DAY 4. PULA – NP BRIONI – CHEESE MAKER
After breakfast we head to the village of Fažana, just 20 minutes from Rovinj, from where we will take a boat to the Brioni National Park, summer residence of Marshal Tito. The Brioni Archipelago covers a group of 14 isles and islets of exceptional beauty. Brioni was declared a national park in 1984. A tour in a tourist train takes us around the park on safari. An expert guide shows us the remains of a Byzantine fortress, the “Tito in Brioni” photography exhibition, the Archaeological Museum and the San German Church.
We once again take the boat to return to the continent and continue on to the town of Pula, the largest town in the region of Istria with a large number of great monuments such as the Coliseum (World Heritage Site, UNESCO), Istria’s most important monument from Roman antiquity, built in the first century ad. When strolling around the old quarter, we will see the grandiosity of the monuments in Pula, such as the Arch of the Sergii, Hercules and the double doors.
We will have lunch at the house of a family-run cheese makers, dating back to the XIV century, located in Stancija Kumperički next to Pula. Their products are made in complete harmony with nature, respecting and promoting true taste and smell in gastronomy.
We return to Rovinj to rest. Dinner is up to you tonight, and you will therefore be free to explore the town of Rovinj with its fantastic selection of local restaurants.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Rovinj
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Activity: Visit to Brioni N.P., walk around Pula and visit-lunch with a cheese maker.
Transfer time: 1 hour
DAY 5. COOKING COURSE
After breakfast we go to Bačva, a small village 30 minutes from Rovinj, to learn the best Istrian recipes. Our cooking course will enable us to immerse ourselves in the culture and lifestyle of Istria and learn to cook authentic Istrian dishes. Together we will prepare a meal of 4 typical Istrian dishes for lunch.
Minestrone, the queen of rural cuisine in Istria. A thick soup of beans, potatoes, fennel and “bobici” (sweetcorn), with bacon, prosciutto or ham bones. “Jota”, the winter equivalent, uses sauerkraut instead of sweetcorn.
Makaroni or pljukanci, is gaining in popularity amongst the people of Istria. Fine pasta of three to five centimetres in length, made from wheat, salt, eggs and water, it is kneaded and rolled into a thin sheet before cutting it into four centimetre squares. Opposite corners are folded towards the centre and pressed together. Just like lasagne, it is also widely used, but is generally covered with homemade sauces (žgvaceti), or Istrian goulash, a thick meaty sauce.
Cooking in the “PEKA” style, traditional method of cooking from inland Istria. A clay pot and hermetic lid with a narrow hole are normally used. Filled with pork, fish or chicken, potatoes and vegetables, the pot is buried in the hot coals of a fire. The cooking process is slow and, once completed, you can enjoy a succulent plate of meat and vegetables with wonderfully integrated flavours.
We return to Rovinj to rest. Tonight we will have our farewell dinner in a wonderfully typical Rovinj restaurant.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Rovinj
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Activity: Cooking classes and farewell dinner
Transfer time: 1 hour
DAY 6. FAREWELL
Following a restorative breakfast, we transfer to Pula airport or to whatever departure point has been agreed, to thereby bring our unforgettable tour to an end.
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Breakfast
Transfer: Transfer from hotel to airport with supplement
Visit: Not include.
