Karst and Istria: Culture, Nature & Gastronomy

Two-day excursion

Day 1: 

Drive to the Karst Plateau. First stop will be at the Škocjan Caves, a Unesco World Heritage site since 1986. Paradise, Calvary and Silent Cave are just few of them that lead us to the fabulous underground canyon, created by the Reka River. We will cross the Cerkvenik Bridge, suspended nearly fifty meters above the riverbed. Back to the surface, we will have a break for tasting the delicious Karst Prosciutto (dried ham), the famous mineral wine Teran which are typical and much appreciated product of the region. After the tasting, we will stop in the village Štanjel to stroll around the “stony” karstic settlement and get to know some characteristics of the local architecture. On the way to the coast, stopover at the Hrastovlje village, known for its small church of the Holy Trinity, whose walls are covered with frescoes, among which is the famous "Dance of Death". Drive to Portorož. Some spare time for a walk along the promenade. Overnight.

Day 2: 

After breakfast we will visit the town of Piran, the birthplace of the Baroque composer Giuseppe Tartini. The main square is named after him and surrounded by inspiring Venetian and Austro-Hungarian buildings, among which the composer's birth house. A stroll through the old streets will lead us to the St. George's church with a marvellous view of the coast and the Alps. We will continue to Sečovlje salt-pans, where we will learn about the tradition of salt-making. Afterwards, we will drive to a homestead that produce an excellent olive oil. We will walk around the olive groves and listen to the explanation about the production of oil. After that, we will have the opportunity to taste different olive oils and some products made with truffles, another premium ingredient in Istria interior. Back to Ljubljana.

Pick-up time: 9 am

Back to the hotel: around 5 pm next day