Description

Vodnjan, or Dignano in Italian, is a small historic town in the olive groves of southern Istria, a short drive north of Pula. Once an important urban centre, it is a delight for lovers of art and history, with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings lining its narrow streets.

The town is dominated by the Parish Church of St. Blaise, the largest parish church in Istria. It took 40 years to build and was consecrated in 1800. Its bell tower, modelled on St. Mark’s in Venice, rises to 61 metres, the tallest in Istria, and can be climbed for a view over the countryside to the sea. Inside hangs “The Last Supper” by Giovanni Contarini, painted in 1598.

Behind the main altar rest the Holy Bodies, the mummified remains of three saints: St. Leon Bembo, St. John Olini and St. Nicoloza Bursa. The church keeps 370 relics of 250 saints, and science has yet to explain how the bodies have stayed preserved for centuries.

Vodnjan is also a town of street art. More than 40 murals, painted during the Street Art and Boombarstick festivals, brighten the facades, and you will stumble on them as you wander the maze of lanes. Galleries such as Apoteka and El Magazein add contemporary art, concerts and exhibitions in summer.

Above all, Vodnjan is the home of Istrian extra virgin olive oil, and its producers are happy to share a taste. The fields around town hold the largest concentration of kažuns, traditional dry-stone shelters, and more than 200 of them have been rebuilt since 2007. The art of dry-stone walling is on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage, and the Kažun Theme Park just outside town shows how these huts were built.