March the 15th, 2023 - The small, family-run Brtonigla San Rocco hotel is set to raise its level of luxury with a reconstruction process after twenty long years of being in operation.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, it isn't just the level of luxury that the heritage Brtonigla San Rocco hotel is raising, it's also making sure it is ticking the increasingly important box of sustainability by introducing green technologies and digital solutions.

To be more specific, the Brtonigla San Rocco hotel is one of the many small hotels that responded to the recently completed and published tender for money from the National Recovery and Resilience Programme (Croatian: NPOO). This was confirmed by Tullio Fernetich, the owner of this exclusive tourist facility in beautiful Istria, who believes that his project meets all the criteria from the tender.

Business adjustments

"Owing to its specific criteria, this tender fully coincided with our previous way of working as well as the idea for renovation that will bring us more added value through green and digital solutions. After twenty whole years on the market, it's now time to additionally try to adapt to today's business conditions and modern market requirements, as well as to mitigate the impact of current not so favourable circumstances related to energy prices. Our project includes the introduction of sustainable solutions across all segments of business while raising our standards that will enable us to generate higher incomes and extend the tourist season," Fernetich explained.

The Brtonigla San Rocco hotel project is worth 1.5 million euros in total and doesn't envisage the expansion of the existing capacity of fourteen rooms, instead, it's aiming for renovation and the introduction of new technologies. It includes the replacement of all appliances that consume too much energy in the hotel and restaurant, a new heating and cooling system with solar panels and heating pumps, the introduction of smart room systems and the elimination of fossil fuels.

The works will start after this summer season ends and everything should be finished by the time the 2024 summer season rolls around. The owner of the hotel employs around 25 people throughout the year, and the San Rocco hotel is one of the thirteen complexes from within the Association of Small Family Hotels (OMH) that holds the Eco green certificate that the association introduced about a year ago.

Family and small hotels are most often located in less developed destinations, and as many as a quarter of them are in the continental part of Croatia. Very often, they're open throughout the entire year, and their offer emphasises authentic, local and healthy products, and preserves heritage and the entire space as a resource.

Sime Klaric, the president of OMH, revealed that fifteen more hotels are about to be certified, and he is convinced that this number will increase dramatically after the implementation of numerous investment projects from the NPOO.

"We don't have the exact figures on how many small hotels applied for the tender, but if we know that the vast majority of applicants are small and medium-sized companies, it's precisely this segment of tourism that is traditionally oriented towards green business. There's already a lot of investment going on, and all those who failed to prepare projects for this tender will have the opportunity to do so with the new financial instruments that are set to follow,'' explained Klaric.

The next step of the association is towards the Energy Efficiency Fund with the aim of introducing a special favourable line for the introduction of alternative energy sources. These are investments whose amounts are even lower than those foreseen in the NPOO, and the need for such adjustments in the sector is great, as they guarantee great savings in the future.

According to Klaric, although the coming season will bring a lot of optimism with it, they're finally returning to and even exceeding the numbers from before the global coronavirus pandemic, and behind these hotels lie a few very lean years indeed.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

Istria is alive and vibrant all year round, and there's no shortage of events outside of the tourist season. We bring you a few suggestions on what to see and do if you're planning to visit Istria in November

1. Warm up with a walk - and some wine - in Novigrad

Technically, it’s still October, but the forecast calls for a sunny weekend in Istria, and so... A nice long walk with gorgeous vistas, coupled with a few nibbles and glasses of wine - sounds like a great way to usher in the new month, right? The popular event Wine & Walk by the Sea will see its 4th instalment this Saturday in Novigrad.

The scenic 10km route will first take you through vineyards and olive groves, and then along the coast, providing a splendid view of the Novigrad city centre. Winemakers and restaurateurs from the area will be showcasing their specialties at six tasting stops along the way, plus a surprise stop halfway through.

© Romulic & Stojcic

Gourmet delicacies will be presented by local caterers Sergio, Kod Marice, La Taverna, Half 8 and Konoba Nino, with dessert provided by Ošo bakery. Each stop has a wine pairing, courtesy of winemakers Moreno Ivančić, Stancija Fava, Leonardo Palčić, Ghira, Vino P&P – Pervino, and Vina Demark.

The walk begins in the morning at Kastanija beach where participants can register and collect their tasting glass together with a map of the trail. Departures are scheduled every 20 minutes.

When: Saturday, October 30th. Registration 8.30 AM - 12PM
Where: Kastanija beach (start and finish), 3km north of Novigrad

Note: attendance is only possible with a Covid certificate or a negative rapid antigen test result no older than 48 hours. Tickets, pricing and the full schedule available at Colours of Istria. 

2. Go out on the town in Pula

Image source: Dođi u grad - Vieni in città

Well... It's more like, Come to town!, but you sure can amp it up and paint the town red. Jokes aside, the city center in Pula is turning into a massive venue for a plethora of fun activities and events over the next few weekends. Live music, stand-up shows, food & wine, art, film screenings, sports, workshops and many other things await visitors from Thursday to Saturday each week in November.

When: Oct. 28-30, Nov. 4-6, 11-13, 18-19
Where: several locations in Pula, see map

You can find a detailed program for each weekend here (in English) and look out for individual events on Facebook.

3. Visit the Book Fair(y) in Pula

The book fairy’s coming to town for the second time in 2021! After the belated 2020 edition that took place earlier this year, the beloved literary event is returning to Pula for its regular annual instalment in the second half of November.

The Book Fair(y) in Pula traditionally features more than 300 publishers from Croatia and the region, and is visited by over 60,000 lovers of literature each year. The fair’s program is always built around a central theme, and this time around, it’s Love: during the ten-day event, panels and discussions will be questioning whether the timeless phenomenon still makes the world go round.

Image source: Sanjam knjige

This year, the book fair in Pula breaks its decades-long tradition by changing venues from the Austro-Hungarian palace of Marine-Kasino to the former textile factory Arena Trikotaža. Part of the program will also take place at The Shipyard Pub, located on the same street. Numerous Croatian and international writers will be attending the ten-day event, so make sure to check out the full program once it's released. If you're not up for panels and the like, you can simply enjoy strolling around the fair and buy a good book or two.

When: November 19th - 28th
Where: ex. Arena Trikotaža / The Shipyard Pub - St Theodor Passage 1, Pula

More info to be announced on the official website (in English) and Facebook page.

4. Explore the flavours of autumn in Brtonigla

 Colder months call for hearty meals, and as the temperatures continue to drop, we could all use a nice bowl of pumpkin soup.

Image source: Ruth Georgiev / Unsplash

Luckily, with autumn in full swing, food markets in Istria are bursting with the best seasonal produce the region has to offer. Mushrooms, truffles, pumpkin, chestnuts, quince and pomegranate are on the menu in several restaurants participating in the Flavours of Autumn, a month-long gourmet event in Brtonigla.

Food & Wine Primizia and konobas Astarea, Morgan and Silvano prepared menus featuring delicious filling dishes inspired by the autumn season, paired with Istrian wines and olive oils, and available at promotional prices. Check out the menus here ... and don’t wait too long to book a table.

When: Oct 15 - Nov. 21
Where: Brtonigla

5. ...and keep exploring all flavours of Istria at the Open Days of Agritourism

You didn’t think this list would only have one gourmet item? We’re in Istria, after all - so even if you don’t get a chance to visit Brtonigla in November, culinary temptations await all over the region.

The Open Days of Agritourism will take place over four weekends in November, with twelve agricultural estates participating in the 11th annual instalment of the popular manifestation. Family-run farms will be offering menus based on their own produce and paired with other locally sourced delicacies. It's a truly authentic experience of traditional Istrian cuisine: grown, raised, harvested, prepared, cooked, baked and served by the hard-working hosts.

Most agricultural estates in Istria also offer accommodation, and there’s plenty to do for a weekend. Kids will enjoy meeting cute farm animals, there are various hiking and cycling trails for the whole family to explore, and after a long day out, there’s always a delicious full plate to get back to.

When: November 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28
Where: Agricultural estates Cerovac, Dušani, Giovanna Allegra, Montižel, Ograde, Pineta, Sia, Stara Štala, Štefanić, Ondina, Pod Čripnjom, Stancija Buršić

Booking in advance is recommended. More info available here (Croatian only, more details to follow).

July 29,  2020 - The Travelers Choice list dedicated to theme parks and water parks was published on Wednesday... and Istralandia is once again the best water park in Croatia and the only Croatian park represented in Europe's top 10!

HRTurizam reports that the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice 2020 ranking dedicated to the category of water parks, published today by the most important internet portal for quality excellence ratings in the world, confirmed that Istralandia is the 3rd best European water park in the competition of more than 300 European water parks. Istralandia is classified as the 5th best water park in the world.

The ratings are processed based on the TripAdvisor algorithm that compares different parameters, including the ranking, quantity and quality of reviews published by the international user community.

The European bronze medal emphasizes the values ​​of quality and is another in a series of confirmations of excellent international positioning, which again sees Istrialandia in the European Top 10, and the only Croatian park to compete amongst the best in Europe. 

"Third place for Istria is a sign of growing public respect and comes at the center of a particularly complex season for this sector, fitting in with the task of harmonizing entertainment and respecting new safety protocols and epidemiological measures," said Silvio Kraljevic, head of Istralandia Aquapark.

Kraljevic says that Istralandia bases its attractions and services on several, clear and simple "rules of the game", preserving the original formula of the park, like a perfectly successful combination of fun and entertainment for all lovers of water attractions, taking care of the cleanliness in accordance with the highest hygienic standards and, of course, impeccable safety for all visitors and lovers of water elements.

“The award restores employees' hope that quality always wins because it recognizes the effort and constant investment in staff training, kindness and professionalism, care for greenery, entertainment and variety of animation programs, order, cleanliness and quality of pool water, rich and varied gastronomic offer, new adrenaline attractions of the latest generation, always high standardized levels of services, a rich sports offer and, at the same time, great readiness to accept innovative entertainment programs," says Kraljevic and emphasizes that he thanks all the employees of Aquapark Istralandia for this important new achievement and great international success, which is also a great tourist success for the destination of Istria and Croatia in general.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 19, 2020 - The first coronavirus death in Croatia has been confirmed, the owner of a popular restaurant in Istria. 

The first coronavirus death in Croatia has been confirmed this morning, reports Index. 

Rumours of the first coronavirus death in Croatia started to circulate yesterday, when it was revealed that an Istrian man in self-isolation had died. Confirmation that the death was related to COVID-19 was delayed until test results were available, which they now are. 

He has been named Anton Nino Kernjus, the owner of a well-known restaurant in Istria, Konoba Astarea in Brtonigla.

Details are still emerging, and we will have a full update from this morning's press conference soon, as well as the daily update later. 

The first case of coronavirus in Croatia was recorded on February 25, 2020, and the current number of cases stands at 99, with two cases confirmed in Split last night, the furthest south the virus has spread. 

For the latest information, check the official government website, Koronavirus.hr. The website is in Croatian only, but Google Translate is your friend. 

For the latest COVID-19 coverage in Croatia in English, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

As Glas Istre/Luka Jelavic writes on the 28th of October, 2019 twelve mushroom associations with more than two hundred mushrooms, mostly from Istria and other parts of Croatia (Karlovac, Rijeka, Sesvete), Slovenia (Sežana) and Italy (Muggia, Vicenza, Trieste), participated in the competition in search and collection of mushrooms and in other contents of this year's manifestation "Mushroom Days" held in Brtonigla.

Everyone agrees that this is the largest such event, not only in Brtonigla and Istria, but also in Croatia, both in terms of the sheer number of participants and in terms of the number of visitors. The nice weather also made things run smoothly, which delighted all those present.

At the official opening of the 17th edition of the Brtonigla event, the participants were greeted by the heads of the Tourism and Agriculture Departments of Istria County.

On the first day of the manifestation, after the official opening, those there in a professional capacity went in search of mushrooms. The areas were chosen by the participants themselves as the primary aim was to find the most beautiful and largest mushroom and to prepare the most beautiful basket filled with mushrooms and other decorations nature brings during autumn.

Upon the return of all the participants, after hours of searching and collecting "forest meat", a special committee decided that the most beautiful mushroom was brought by the Bresadol mushroom team from Trieste, while the biggest mushroom, a 12 kg specimen, brought by the team from Vicenze (Italy). Members of the mushroom association from Sežana arranged the most beautiful basket full of mushrooms, and they also received the same recognition last year.

A large exhibition of mushrooms with 230 specimens of edible, inedible and poisonous mushrooms, collected mainly in the Bujština area, was prepared in a large tent, where  the scent of mushroom scents spread quickly. Visitors were interested in getting better acquainted with the mushrooms that were described, with their names and characteristics, and this was an opportunity to learn something new and to get to know a part of the world of above-ground mushrooms.

The picking season has been good and there have been plenty of mushrooms, as seen in the exhibition which was prepared by certain members. Along with mushrooms, art and other works of elementary school students and kindergarten students from Brtonigla on the topic of mushrooms were also showcased.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

Visiting Istria and not leaving a couple of kilos heavier seems to be an increasingly harder task these days.