November in Istrian cities and villages will be marked especially by
traditional Saint Martin’s Day celebration, as well as by authentic Istrian
flavours of the sea and the countryside. This November’s novelty is the
“Wonderland” in Koper, which will take us into the festive December with
lights, an ice-skating rink and a varied entertainment programme.
Traditional Saint Martin’s Day celebrations in Istria
The St. Martin’s Feast in
Koper will be held in the heated tent on the parking lot by the Bonifika
Stadium, where you will be able to party from Thursday, 8 November, until
Saturday, 10 November. From Friday (9 November) until Sunday (11 November) the
traditional St. Martin’s Feast will
be happening in Marezige as well. On Saturday, 10 November, starting at 17.00,
the traditional St. Martin’s Eveningis going to be celebrated on the central square in Ankaran, where you will be
able to enjoy roasted chestnuts, new wine and music. On the same day, the traditionalSt. Martin’s Day Celebration with an
evening party and dancing will be happening in Sečovlje as well.
The flavours of
the sea and the countryside
During the autumn holidays, you will have the
opportunity to taste domestic shellfish in Izola. October's initiative
"Days of local shellfish", held between 22 October and 4 November,
will fill your plates with specialties with four types of shellfish: Noah's Ark
shell, mussels, Venus clams, and oysters, prepared by 17 caterers from the city
of Izola and its countryside.
Lovers of home-made Istrian delicacies will be able to pamper their
taste buds in osmice ("installed
restaurants" which enable farmers to sell the remainder of the wine from
the previous year and home-made food for eight days in the week). Osmica Krmac in Bertoki is open until 28
October, between 2 and 11 November you can visit Osmica Jakomin in Kubed, and
Osmica Štok in Marezige will be open from 9 to 18 November.
Between 16 and 18 November, there will be the traditional Persimmon Feast in Strunjan, where you
will be able to taste the typical regional food and the golden fruit of
Strunjan - fresh or used as an ingredient in culinary delicacies. The delicious
offer will be accompanied by music, entertainment, and cultural programme, as
well as by guided visits of the beautiful Strunjan Salt Pans. The event is co-financed by the
Riviera4Seasons2 project, partly funded by the European Union from the European
Regional Development Fund, under the Cooperation Program INTERREG V-A
Slovenia-Croatia 2014-2020.
Cultural events
Mediadom Pyrhani will host a
series of concerts called Unplugged at Mediadom, inaugurated by the
performance of Yan Baray, on 12 November, followed by Jure Lesar on 13
November, and the band Nevermind on 14 November. The entry will be free, but you will have to
book tickets in advance. On 17 November, you will be able to see the dance
performance Sleeping Beauty at the Izola
Cultural Centre. The show is not intended only for children, but also for older
audiences. This year's 36th Piran Days
of Architecture, an international architectural conference with one of the
longest traditions in the world, will be held from 16 to 19 November. As part
of the event, exhibition opening and the prestigious Piranesi award ceremony will be taking place in the Monfort
Exhibition Space on 17 November. At the end of the month (29 November) you are
invited to a special musical event at the Izola Cultural Centre, entitled “I
will wear the red star.”
In anticipation of
the Merry December
This year in Istria, we will not have to wait until December for switching
on the festive lights. One of the more exceptional city decorations will light
up in Koper on 9 November. In addition to festive lights, other lighting
installations, part of the project "Wonderland",
will shine as well. A concert of Perpetuum jazzile will take place as part of
the opening event.
In the neighbouring municipalities, the lights will traditionally start
shining on 1 December. The festive
December events in Portorož, titled All
the Sweetness of Life, will be inaugurated with the opening of the Christmas and New Year's market. On
the same evening, the lights will turn on in Pietro Coppo Park in Izola and in the Ankaran town centre. More about December festive events in the news
next month.
Prepared from: Luca Stančič Kodarin, Turistično združenje Izola, g.i.z.
In collabortion with: Turistična organizacija Koper, Turistično združenje Portorož, g.i.z. and Občino Ankaran.
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Foto 1 by: Jaka Ivančič
Foto 2 by: Jaka Ivančič
Foto 3 by: Aleš Logar
Foto 4 by: Luka Kaše Riiba