Wedding in Vodnjan – idyllic locations and a nostalgic touch of tradition

Vodnjan (Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

Everyone dreams of a beautiful wedding, and that means choosing a special location. Close your eyes and imagine the deep blue sea, the view of Brijuni, the tranquility of numerous olive groves, stone cottages (kažuni), and the remnants of ancient oil mills, monasteries, and villas.

Picture the fragrant herbs, the tallest bell tower in Istria, the largest number of churches and small churches, and the medieval white stone architecture. All of these dreamy scenes are a reality in the sunny south of Istria.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

Back in 1895, these sights inspired the great composer Antonio Smareglia to create the well-known opera “Nozze Istriana,” which is set in Vodnjan and reflects the town’s heritage and culture.

While he combined love and tradition on the stage, the Vodnjan Tourist Board invites you to explore wedding inspiration on its official website www.vodnjandignano.com/vjencanja/stranica/161, and create a magical celebration that combines deep emotions, centuries past, and the future ahead.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

Experience Vodnjan as a desirable wedding destination through photos and a promotional film created in collaboration with photographer Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić), event organizer Ame Amor (Anja Boljunčić Punčikar), and the production company Medvid. If you need another reason to choose Vodnjan for your big day, learn about how its natural and cultural heritage can inspire you.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

STAND IN FRONT OF THE ALTAR OF ONE OF THE NUMEROUS CHURCHES AND CHURCHES

If you’re considering a church wedding ceremony, whether in a small, intimate church or the exquisite interior of a large basilica, Vodnjan and its surroundings are the perfect location. Most of the churches and small churches in Istria were built within its territory, preserving tradition within their quiet interiors. In the past, Vodnjan’s small town was divided into “contrades”, each with its church.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

More than 60 churches have been built throughout history, bearing the names of various saints and holding fairy tales, legends, relics, and ancient stones. The Basilica of St. Blase stands out as the largest parish church in Istria due to its impressive dimensions. Additionally, churches nestled in the stone cores of Vodnjan towns offer an intimate and contemplative atmosphere, while those in nature are surrounded by the calming beauty of the Istrian landscape.

The early Christian basilica of St. Foška, located near the settlement of Batvači (Valmadorso), is particularly beautiful with its floating arcades, stone porch, wall paintings by top masters, and unusual serenity, making it an ideal setting for a dream wedding.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

CHOOSE BETWEEN THE SERENE SEA, STONE COTTAGES (KAŽUNI), OLIVE GROVES, OR THE ANCIENT CHARM OF VODJAN FOR YOUR PHOTOS

After selecting one of the many churches in Vodnjan for the wedding ceremony, it’s time to choose the locations for your photos and videos. If you’re seeking a dreamy, nostalgic atmosphere with an antique interior, open fireplace, authentic furniture, yellowed photographs, and various objects that transport you to the past of everyday life in Vodnjan, then the “House of Tradition” of the Istrian de Dignan Ecomuseum in Vodnjan is an ideal choice.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

A stroll through the city center of Vodnjan will add unexpected dynamism to your photos. The clean lines and white surfaces of Istrian stone, adorned with elegant details, will give your photos a romantic and airy feel, while the vibrant colors of the forty street murals will bring them to life.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

You’ll find these colors on the main square, where the beautiful red facade of the city palace, built in the Neo-Gothic-Venetian style, and the equally stunning orange facade of the Bradamante Palace dominate the scene.

Just a few steps away, you’ll discover the Bettica Palace, a noteworthy example of Venetian architecture.

If you want to shoot in nature, there are locations outside Vodnjan that compete with each other in beauty and uniqueness. Not far from the Basilica of St. Foška, ​​there are exceptional examples of dry stone construction, three stone giants that will be happy to take a moment to rest in the greenery to pose with you.

These are Three stone cottages (Tri kažuna) that surprise with their unusually large dimensions and formation because, unlike many others, they are located next to each other. For farmers from Vodnjan in the past, kažun was a place for rest, respite, shelter from the sun and rain, a second home in the middle of the fields, and in your case, as an original backdrop for wedding photos, it will take on a new meaning.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

If you want to take a walk through an olive grove while the sun’s rays break through the olive trees, Barbariga will fulfill your wish, with another special place for you. On its large pier, spread out like a solemn stone carpet, the star of the photo will be you and the sea, which will generously embrace you with its blueness.

GET INSPIRED BY VODNJAN’S COSTUME, JEWELRY AND HAIRSTYLE

In this region, girls in traditional costumes, including formal ones, are called “marusse” after the character from the opera “Nozze Istriana” by Antonio Smareglia. For their big day, the brides of Vodnjan had to go through a long and complex ritual of dressing and beautifying, which can inspire you to add a few traditional details to your look.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

Their ceremonial costumes are widely known for their beauty, the fineness of the fabrics, the opulence of colors on the sleeves and waistcoats, and the many items of clothing that they carefully dressed and decorated with rich jewelry such as long gold chains, gold earrings with three pendants (piroli), and rings and brooches enriched with azure stones and corals.

A special highlight was the festive hairstyle, which after a long process becomes a real masterpiece of waves, braids, and buns, stunning with its delicacy and filigree decorations like decorative pins. Although they wore simple black shoes, it is interesting to note that at the beginning of the 20th century, women from Vodnjan had access to the most modern models in Europe thanks to the success of the most talented shoemaker from Vodnjan, Ermini Vojvoda, whose shoe designs found their place in the most important European fashion magazines.

FIND AN IDEA FOR A WEDDING BOUQUET AND TABLE DECORATION IN THE FIELDS OF VODNJAN

Who knows, maybe the fact that the Istrian flora has more than 2,000 species of plants, while, for example, there are only 1,300 in the whole of Great Britain, will be the inspiration for your bouquet or table decoration. Istria is a botanical paradise that absorbs the power of the sun, and this title can be attributed to the intertwining of the different influences of the Alps, the Dinarides, and the Mediterranean.

Lavender, rosemary, immortelle, cypress, juniper, fennel, sage, laurel, and geranium are just some of the plants that could impress your guests decently arranged on the tables, or be part of a bouquet that will be tossed and end up in the hand of a future bride.

The strong connection and interweaving with the plant life is an important part of the Vodnjan tradition, and Bartolomeo Biasoletto, a Vodnjan native who made his mark in the world and became one of the most famous European botanists, is mainly responsible for this.

WEDDING SWEETS AND TOASTS IN THE VODNJAN WAY

A drop of golden extra virgin olive oil, for which Vodnjan is world famous, will enhance the dishes from the wedding menu, and tradition has brought Vodnjan delicious desserts and top wines with which you can celebrate your big day. “Torta de mandole”, better known as “Bumbarska torta”, is a sweet trademark of Vodnjan, while the Umberto cake is more recent. The guests of Vodnjan weddings enjoyed traditional sweets such as busolai biscuits, grostoli (crochets), crocanti, and cornets made from bread dough.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

On all important life events, the people of Vodnjan toasted with something truly special – dessert sweet wine Vin de Rosa, which smells like roses and which their ancestors taught them to produce, preserving in it the sweetness of the best Istrian Malvasia grapes. Of course, there are also top wines that you can taste even before the wedding in wineries, family farms, and resorts in the Vodnjan area.

LET YOUR WEDDING BELLS RING AT THE HIGHEST BELL TOWER IN ISTRIA

If you decide to have a wedding ceremony in the grandiose basilica of St. Blase, know that your wedding bells will ring from the highest bell tower in Istria, which reaches a height of 61 m. If you want to see the part of Istria where you said the big “yes”, you can do so by climbing to its top, which offers a fantastic view.

In addition to the magnificent church bells that for centuries follow the beats of life and changes in this Istrian town, your wedding celebration will certainly be accompanied by music, dancing, and entertainment until late into the night. In the past, too, music accompanied young couples on their way to a new life, which was recorded by Antonio Smareglia in his opera, and found special inspiration in the wedding procession, which was a real attraction for the locals with its vividness, especially if it took place in the evening lit by torches.

(Photo: Anuschka (Ana Bolobicchio Vidalić)

At the head were players of the leron, a traditional folk instrument, as well as the violin and cello, followed by the bride and her father, then the groom with his best men and other guests. The wedding dance would be opened by the newlyweds, and the furlan, polka, sotis, and waltz dances were danced.

Three days of celebrations with lunches, dinners, songs, and dances were remembered and retold for generations, becoming deeply rooted in the identity of Vodnjan. Therefore, it can rightly be said that it is in Vodnjan and its surroundings that tradition and love come together specially and unforgettably in a wedding celebration!