Location: Vodnjan
Top Things to do in Vodnjan
The 10 Best Sights & Landmarks in Vodnjan, Istria
Vodnjan (Croatian; pronounced [ʋɔ̌dɲan]) or Dignano (Italian) is a town and municipality in Istria County, Croatia.
Restaurants in Vodnjan
1. Chiavalon Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 354 reviews
"We are a family owned farm, specialized in the production of top quality extra virigin olive oil. Our blends are renowned and awarded all over the world, not only for the quality, but also for our particular design and packaging. Beside olive oil, we are also focusing on producing new organic products, that you can all taste on our family estate. If you want to experience tasting our liquid gold like a pro, feel free to stop by for a free tasting or reserve your place for one of our guided tours at our brand new olive mill. Looking forward to meeting you!"
Reviewed By dmitch878 - Bristol, United Kingdom
My wife and I visited for a tour. Ivana was excellent and provided a real insight into the production of real high quality olive oil. I opted for the full experience including delicious local wine cheese and meat. My wife only wanted the oils to try however we were all provided with bread and a fantastic home made tomato sauce. We also took two bottles home with us and as soon as we are able to order this oil on the UK we will be sure to place an order. All in all an excellent experience.
2. Brist Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 233 reviews
Our family farm is located in the gentle hills above the town of Vodnjan. You can book an educational tour with us to our olive grove and enjoy the beautiful views over the Brijuni Islands while learning all about the production of world class olive oil in Istria. Tour booking can be done by email, phone or best to come and visit our shop in the center of Vodnjan where you can enjoy a free tasting of our full range of our 5 different oils. The address of our shop is on the main street in Vodnjan, Trgovacka 40, (directly opposite the post office). We very much look forward to meeting you and sharing a wonderful olive oil experience with you. Paul O'Grady.
Reviewed By SFbayExpat - Uttendorf, Austria
My first holiday in Istria in 2017, I went to the olive oil museum in Pula and took the class on olive oil tasting. It was an eye opener. A couple days later I visited the Brist store. This is a professionally run, small family business and the product is not only amazing, it’s award winning. My first visit to the shop lasted 2 hours because they treated us like long lost friends. Brist has turned into the only place we get our olive oil and every friend we bring there, whether they are from California, Ohio, Germany, or Austria, they have all ended up buying Brist Olive Oil. Those lucky enough to be in Europe have also continued to order it online after their holidays. The farm tour is also great fun and I’ve spent 2 evenings there dining under the stars with friends and the amazingly friendly Brist team. I just visited today to get oil for my household and for a friend in Salzburg who was here with us last year. This oil and this family will make an impression that you will cherish and it will keep you coming back year after year.
3. Cadenela Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 52 reviews
Cadenela Organic Olive Oil is a family producer of boutique olive oils: all our olives are organically tended and certified. Do come and visit us, we'll explain you all the nuances of our istrian varieties of olive oil!
Reviewed By 777ew - Portland, United States
We stopped by this place today. Andrea was a fabulous host - his love for the oil, the quality and nature are almost as palpable as the flavors on his gorgeous organic oil. We sat outside on his beautiful deck, surrounded by olive trees under the Istrian sun - learned about olives and oil, drank a beer and chatted. What could be better? Now I may need to check my luggage because I could not leave without buying a bottle of this liquid heaven.
4. Meloto Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
The olive tree is traditional in Dignano, so that out of the total 4000 olive trees belonging to our business, there are trees more than 400 years old. Our family cultivates twelve hectares of land with the annual production reaching approximately 2000 kg of oil. We are attached to the autochthonous olive cultivars that yield products of exceptional quality, namely Busa, Rossignola and Zizzolera
5. Park Kazuna
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 16 reviews
Our Info-point is situated right next to the Parc of kazuni (historical buildings typical for Istria). It is possible to learn about the history of Vodnjan and receive practical information on the area. There is also a souvenir shop where you can buy olive oil, wine, natural homemade products, kazuni replicas and other souvenirs.
6. Church of St. Blaise
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 64 reviews
This church contains the largest collection of saintly relics outside of Rome.
Reviewed By asiyahnoemik - Pula, Croatia
Church of St. Blaise is beautiful and significant. It is one of the most impressive buildings in Vodnjan, but also in the whole of Istria. It is known for its many interesting relics. The relics arrived in Vodnjan in 1818 from Venice because everything sacred the French Revolution destroyed. They were brought by painter and member of the Imperial Royal Academy of Fine Arts Gaetano Grezler. In addition to the relics of Sts. Blaise keeps another 370 relics of 250 different saints in the Parish Church of Vodnjan. In addition to the thorn from the crown of Jesus, a piece of the veil of the Virgin, a particle of the cross of Christ, and many others, particular attention attract completely preserved bodies or parts of the bodies of St. Sebastian, St. Barbara, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Leon Bembo, St. John Olini and St. Nikoloz Bursa. Body parts and whole bodies in the Parish Church of St. Blaise lay for centuries, and are not embalmed or hermetically sealed which is a real mystery for scientists. The church was donated by people to the Vodnjan and was built from 1760 to 1800. At the time, citizens were allocating 10 percent of all its products for the construction of church. The interior of St. Blaise is a Baroque space divided by arched arcades on columns, equipped with nine altars from the 19th and 20th centuries, richly decorated with incrustations, marble and oil paintings of saints of great artistic value. In Church of St. Blaise has 23 prized canvases and statues. The most important among them are: the "Last Supper" by Giovanni Contarini (1598) whose surface is almost 10 m2. “Our Lady of Saints” by Gaetan Gretzler of Verona, “Jesus surrenders the authority to St. Peter (1843) by Venerie Trevisan.
7. Church of Our Lady of Health
The Church of Our Lady of Health was built in 1854 on the remains of an older church from the 13th century, and is located on the road leading from Vodnjan to Bale. The churchyard is a beautiful spot with a spectacular view of the western Vodnjan, olive groves and Brijuni Islands.
8. Church of St. Jacob
The Church of St. James in Vodnjan is considered to be the oldest religious building in the city. The church is believed to have been built in the 9th century although there is precise data on its origin and original form. It is in the oldest part of Vodnjan, in the Old Town. The church is a single-nave structure without apse, with a simple façade without decorative elements.
9. Church of St. Catherine
The church of St. Catherine is dated from the 12th or 13th century and is considered one of the oldest sacral buildings in the city, given its preserved architectural and stylistic characteristics of the Romanesque. The church used to be located outside the inhabited area of the town and served as a place of pilgrimage, until the 17th century when the city limits expanded to include it. Inside the church there are wall paintings and various engravings and drawings.
10. Parish Church of St. Roque
The parish church of Galižana is dedicated to St. Roque. A bell tower (from the 17th century) next to the parish church, 36m high, is somewhat reminiscent of the one in Aquileia. Above the gate of the bell tower is the coat of arms with a lion. At the front of the church, above the main entrance, there is a carving of Greek cross, probably the remnant of a former sacral object. The five altars are embellished with finely carved wooden and marble pillars. In the niche of the apse there is a statue of St. Roque who has performed miracles in treating plague victims. On two sides of the sanctuary there are fine statues, St. Peter and St. Paul. The church is located in the center of the settlement.
