The Bailliage held its first Grand Chapitre in the city of Rovinj and other attractive destinations in Istria. We were fortunate to have had beautiful weather during all four days of the programme. The event was attended by members from as many as seven national Bailliages: Slovenia, Austria, Germany, France, Monaco, Hungary and the United States.

Thanks to Maistra Hotels, our main partner in the organization of the event, our members enjoyed luxury accommodation and attended various gatherings in the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj and the Lone Hotel. Both of these hotels are located near the historic centre of Rovinj, which was an ideal opportunity for everyone to explore the city in more detail.

Upon arrival in their hotel rooms, every guest was pleasantly surprised by a gift bag full of presents from our sponsors. The many scents and flavours of small gifts in the bag took the members on a “trip” to other parts of Croatia, while other useful gifts and instructions made the entire stay at the Grand Chapitre more beautiful and a lot easier.

The first event in the programme was a welcome drink and fine snacks served on the terrace of Primi Terreni, one of the Grand Hotel’s many restaurants. It began with a beautiful sunset back-dropping the fine view of the old town of Rovinj and its monumental bell tower.

Some members spent the morning of the second day in the Chef’s Workshop which was run by the world-famous Chef Lidija Bastianich, originally from Istria. They learned how to prepare popular Milanese ossobuco, veal with vegetables and tuna steak. Chef Lidia shared many useful tips and many interesting details from her life. At the same time, other members enjoyed sailing along the Istrian coast from Rovinj to the uniquely beautiful landscape of the Lim Channel. They relished delicious Istrian specialties from the sea and land at the Viking restaurant.

Dinners were organized in three restaurants. Chef Jeffrey Vella prepared excellent dishes at the Cap Aureo Signature Restaurant at the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj. The second restaurant was an hour's drive away in Zambratija (Savudrija). The journey was certainly worth it because Ljiljana and Maître Restaurateur Fabrizio Vežnaver, the hosts of the Pergola Restaurant, welcomed our members with true “art on the plate”, making everyone feel at home with the perfect flavours of each bite. This dinner event only accepted a limited number of members, so only twelve guests attended, making the entire experience truly exclusive.

The third group of members, after a “Sunset Drink” at Puntulina Restaurant, dined at Giannino Restaurant where they were hosted by Maître Restaurateur Nereo Pellizzer and other members of the Pellizzer family, owners of the largest family restaurant group in Istria. The excellent meals there were prepared by Chef Dubravka Ćujo.

Some members began their third day with a trip to the village of Ferenci, where they were welcomed on the Fatorić family farm by owners Oriel and Đordano Fatorić. After homemade brandy, they enjoyed homemade prosciutto, ombolo, sausages, cured pork neck and bacon, followed by an autochthonous Istrian dish ‘fuži’ served with homemade rooster. Josip Gudelj, the son-in-law of our hosts, offered inspired guidance of the farm. At the end, the stay was rounded off by sweet snacks – ‘kroštule’ and excellent ‘pandišpanj’. On the way back from the farm, members made a stop in the village of Kremenje in the Matošević Winery where they enjoyed the wines of one of the best Istrian winemakers, Professionnel du Vin Ivica Matošević, whose wines have long been conquering prestigious world wine awards.

The second trip took us to Vodnjan, where the Lupieri family has an impressive 33 hectares of certified “bio” olive groves. Their Cadenela olive oil enjoys the status of one of the best oils in the world. A special tasting of olive oils was organized in the grove accompanied by a very informative lecture about their characteristics and qualities.

The evening started with a lot of excitement for the new members. The inauguration ceremony of 42 new members was held at the Lone Hotel. The ceremony was led by Klaus Tritschler, Member of the Conseil d’Administration from Germany, assisted by our Bailli Délégué Dalibor Greganić and Grand Officier Tomaž Ravnikar from Slovenia. A special guest on stage was Seku Mady Condé, the Bailli Délégué of Slovenia.

With ribbons around their necks, the members headed to the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, where a gala dinner prepared by Chef Dario Šajatović was held in the exclusive ballroom,. With excellent wines selected by Sommelier Almin Imširović, the courses arrived at the tables thanks to perfectly coordinated service.

The gala dinner, which will be remembered by all of us for a long time, was dedicated to Corrado Pellizzer, who unfortunately passed away a year ago. He was one of the most important people in the Croatian and Rovinj’s restaurant business and catering industry and was also the oldest member of the Bailliage of Croatia. At the gala dinner we were joined by many important guests, lovers of gastronomy, including Yannick Andrianarahinjaka representing the French Embassy.

The sunny morning of the fourth day lured the members out on a walk through the fragrant pine forest surrounding the hotels. Some members explored the city of Rovinj and tried to delay their departure from this beautiful part of our largest peninsula because we really enjoyed every minute of our stay there.

Radovan Marčić
Conseiller Gastronomique