January 24, 2022 - Through the ''Authentic Istria'' initiative, the region's tourist boards have jointly presented the promotional film ''Good Mood / Good Food'', highlighting the most characteristic and valuable elements of the Istrian gastronomy, both its unique ingredients and traditional recipes.

The premiere of the promotional film Authentic Istria: Good mood / Good food was held in Pazin, which includes a part of the gastronomic offer of the Tourist Boards of Central Istria, the City of Buzet, and the municipalities of Barban, Kanfanar, Svetvinčenat, and Žminj Labin companies Level 52, reports HrTurizam.hr.

The backbone of the film is the rich Istrian gastronomy and good mood that Istrian local food encourages. The film thus visually presents the ambassadors of Istrian cuisine: truffles, prosciutto, wine, čripnja, cheese, oysters, homemade pasta, desserts such as Cukerančić and Christ's Crown, and others.

In the film, the viewer meets the hosts who are in the field, in their catering facilities and production units to show the originality and quality of local food offered in central Istria. In addition to gastronomic experiences, there are other unique experiences to offer: sleeping on straw, driving through beautiful landscapes, tasting fresh food in the field or on a boat, lunch among the vineyards, socializing with the hosts, etc. 

Sanel Isanović, director of the Level 52 company and the film's author, emphasized that with this film the desire was to go a step further and tell the story of Authentic Istria, which will first create good feelings and connections between viewers and destinations and create a desire to come.

"The whole film is designed as a journey that begins with a couple of tourists waking up on a straw bed, rich in panoramic shots of central Istria, sun-drenched hills, fields with hay bales, forests, and shots of beautiful scenery," explains Isanović.

As the film's producer Bianca Dagostin pointed out, over 40 local extras took part in the film, and the collaboration with local producers and caterers who significantly helped in the realization of the film was exceptional.

The promotional film that celebrates Istrian gastronomy was published in Croatian and English, and realized within the activities defined by the Agreement on the Association of Tourist Boards of Cities and Municipalities from Central Istria entitled "Authentic Istria". The realization of the film was financed by the Fund for United Tourist Boards, Croatian Tourist Board.

For more, check out our dedicated travel section.

April 20, 2021 – Another recognition of Croatia's beauty and tourist offer as the American magazine Forbes included Istria among 50 spectacular destinations for post-pandemic travels.

As reported by Ina Rodin, the Croatian National Tourist Board director in the USA, the prestigious American media have been writing about the current conditions for entering Croatia in recent days.

The Forbes article states that Istria is an ideal destination for all gastronomy lovers who can taste quality olive oil, truffles, prosciutto, wine, and seafood in Istria. The article also emphasizes the beauty of Istrian towns and its excellent geographical position.

"Foodies should consider Croatia's Istrian Peninsula for their next taste-testing vacation. As the crow flies, you're practically in Italy; in fact, there's a ferry that runs between Venice and Pula, Croatia. You'll find truffles, olive oil, prosciutto, wine, and all types of seafood, plus delicacies that are 100% Croatian.

This region is popular with European travelers, but Americans are only just beginning to visit. If you go, be sure to split your time between a coastal city (such as Rovinj or Pula) and inland villages (hill-top Motovun is a favorite)," writes Forbes.

The story of the American television network CNBC also revealed all the charms of Istria. It provided an overview of the digital nomads' costs of living in four global destinations, namely Bali, Jamaica, Barbados, and Croatia. The story of life in Croatia is told through the example of Melissa Paul, a digital nomad who found her place under the sun in Istria.

The American edition of the travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler also writes about Croatia, which brings a list of countries that are open to vaccinated visitors and states the current conditions for entering those countries.

Lonely Planet, the world's leading brand of tourist guides, also writes about the current conditions of entry into Croatia. In an additional article about our country, they list the 17 best must-visit locations in Croatia. The list includes Dubrovnik, Plitvice Lakes, Hvar, Mljet, Zagreb, Istria, Vis, Bol, Korcula, Krka National Park, Split, Zagorje, Zadar, Cres, Cape Kamenjak, Kopački Rit Nature Park, and Motovun.

Besides, the Travel Pulse portal and the renowned American travel magazine Travel+Leisure write about the conditions for entering Croatia. Travel+Leisure includes one Croatian destination, namely the city of Split, in the nine best European destinations for retirees.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including border, travel and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

July 13, 2020 - In their first venture to the Croatian coast, Rešetka's summer menu brings fine-dining quality to seaside streets in 2020

Sometimes you just want a burger, a sandwich, or something you can just eat from your hands. But, just because you haven't got the time or can't be bothered with the faff of fine dining, that doesn't mean you're volunteering for a drastic drop in quality.

That's where Rešetka comes in. Street food providers renowned for sourcing and selling only quality meats, the grill specialists have been a highlight of Zagreb Burger Fest and several pop-ups in recent times. This summer, the experience that has won over the Croatian capital's burger connoisseurs can be found instead along the coast.

Rešetka owner Nikola Božić has embarked on the summer venture with chef Katarina Vrenc. You'll be able to find their new concept 'Fine Street Food by Reshetka & Katarina Vrenc' at several pop-up locations along the Adriatic this summer. They'll be visiting Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia, including the islands of Cres and Pag.


Rešetka and Đurina Hiža are renowned for using only high quality, locally sourced produce within their dishes including, this year, beef from a hybrid of Japan's famed wagyu and Holstein, sourced from the first range herd of its kind in Croatia © Rešetka

With a commitment to cooking only with high quality, locally sourced produce and ingredients, the team is known to use premium meats and seafood for their dishes. This year they will offer beef from a hybrid of Japan's famed wagyu and Holstein, sourced from the first range herd of its kind in Croatia. Within a summer menu that combines the best of continental and coastal Croatian ingredients, you'll also find superior snacks such as rich pork belly paired with octopus.

Nikola Božić is also the proprietor of Đurina Hiža near Varaždinske Toplice. As recently covered in TCN, thanks to some quick and positive thinking, though the restaurant closed for a while in the Coronavirus lockdown, Nikola was able to adapt his business in order to remain successful during the period; relying on high quality, locally sourced ingredients, he became a bridge between the small producers he'd spent time finding, and those shopping online from their homes. Their 'Deda Goes Around the World' service delivered meats and other produce throughout Croatia during the restaurant's temporary closure.

If you're planning to visit Dubrovnik, Biograd, Pula, Premantura or Split this summer and can't face another pizza slice, kebab or burger of questionable origin, be sure to look out for the Rešetka logo. Fine Street Food by Reshetka & Katarina Vrenc will visit Plavica Bar on island Cres on 7 & 8 August and the Michelin-starred Boškinac on Pag in the middle of September. Further inland, they'll also be available at the High Grounds Festival in Varaždinske Toplice on 31 July, 1 & 2 August. Grab yourself a handful of delicious food and pick a spot to watch the stunning Croatian sunset, the Adriatic coast and its breathtaking backdrop has long been lacking exactly this standard of street food to accompany.


© Rešetka

As Glas Istre/Boris Zgomba writes on the 1st of November, 2019, the variety of foods, the gastronomic tradition with elements of different cuisines that have historically dominated Croatia and its region over several historical periods and the traditional skill of cooking and eating impresses a large number of guests who visit Istria and Croatia.

Gastronomy is an indispensable part of the experience of a destination and certainly an increasingly important element of the research and interest of modern tourists. The local experience is often associated with enjoying the gastronomic specifics of a particular location. Countries with developed tourist traditions understood this first and as such especially branded their national cuisine.

The best examples globally are countries like France, Italy, Greece and the like. Current global data shows us that currently, the average tourists spend between 20 and 30 percent of their travel budget on food. What we can expect in Istria over the coming period is the further strengthening of the trend of consumption growth to the gastronomic offer.

On the other hand, gastronomy strengthens its influence on the choice of tourist destination. Looking at the latest TOMAS survey by the Institute of Tourism on Attitudes and Tourist Consumption in Croatia, gastronomy and food enjoyment is one of the three main motives for arriving at a destination for as many as 29 percent of tourists.

That is why, when we talk about the development of tourism in general in Croatia, it's absolutely crucial that we position the country in this segment as much as possible. Croatia's gastronomic offer, at least on the ground, has a comparative advantage inherent in the Mediterranean climate. As previously mentioned, the variety of food, the gastronomic tradition with elements of different cuisines that have historically dominated the region throughout some periods and the traditional skill of cooking and eating impresses a large number of guests who visit Croatia. What Croatia isn't excelling in is the communication and presentation of this particular offer to the rest of the world.

Istria is an excellent example of how gastronomy can be transformed into one of the drivers of tourist traffic. In Istria, the branding of gastronomic offer has been very serious for more than a decade now. Istria is a great example of successful synergy between the private and public sectors, working hard and hard to achieve one goal - to brand Istria as the most desirable gastronomic destination in Croatia and the entire Mediterranean. Although we're still on the way to that goal, we haven't been without encouraging results.

Today, Istria is the only region in Croatia that has developed an indigenous gastronomic offer in a high quality and systematic way. Numerous private investments in facilities and their offers, as well as numerous activities of the tourist boards, and of course the promotion of travel agencies, which have singled out the gastronomic offer in their programs, helped in this mission.

Tourists, especially from more distant countries such as those from outside of Europe that aren't part of Croatia's traditional broadcast markets, are looking for indigenous offers, they want to enjoy the local gastronomy, they want to get informed about local food and drinks, and they want to try their hand at creating them themselves.

Therefore, the popularity of Istria's gastronomic attractions for tourists, such as indigenous cooking workshops, gastronomic-oriented museums, truffle hunts, numerous events dedicated to local food and days dedicated to the diverse natural produce of Istria from truffles and mushrooms, to cheese and honey, to sausages, prosciutto and much more. Such special offers will be increasingly in demand and they will become the key to generate further tourist demand.

When we talk about gastro tourism, we have to keep in mind that this is a segment of cultural tourism, which is complex and covers many fields of human activity.

Gastronomy best presents the specific lifestyle of a destination, which is why it must be authentic. In order to achieve the national goal that Croatia needs to become a recognisable gastronomic destination and become part of the top twenty tourist destinations in the world, all tourism stakeholders, as well as the wider society, need to "push" in the same direction and encourage the development of a quality offer and its proper presentation.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for much more on tourism in Istria.

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