Home > Trips > Adriatic Extravaganza: Food and Wine Experience in Friuli & Istria
Adriatic Extravaganza: Food and Wine Experience in Friuli & Istria
May 22 – 30, 2027
Borders have changed dramatically in this part of the world, creating a fascinating tapestry of languages and parallel histories. This of course includes grape varieties and a one-of-a-kind—and very delicious—culinary heritage. We’ll spend the week crossing the borders between Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and discovering most of the Istrian peninsula (which is possibly the tastiest part of Croatia). Be prepared to take in plenty of history while we learn about the Yugoslav heritage of Croatia and Slovenia, as well as the Habsburg, Venetian, and Roman periods. All of these histories, of course, also come back to the food and wine.
We’ll taste a great variety of foods—San Daniele prosciutto straight from its source, fresh oysters straight from the sea, truffles that we’ve hunted ourselves, an olive oil tasting at an olive farm, Istia’s boshkarin beef, fish grilled on our own private boat, raw seafood, and a feast of goat specialties at a goat farm. We’ll learn how to make fuži (a type of local pasta) and we’ll cook on open fire “under the bell,” as the locals call it.
Of course, we’ll taste plenty of wine along the way! As always, we’ll focus on the local heroes like Friulano, Rebula, Teran, Malvazija, Refosco, Tazzalenge, Pignolo, and more. All this will happen while we look at the beautiful blue of the Adriatic (we’ll jump in whenever we have a chance), the blazing sunsets behind Rovinj, and the lush green hills of the paradise that is the Friuli region.
Trip Highlights
What’s included?
What’s not included?
Why Travel with Us?
Since 2008, when we founded Taste Hungary, we’ve been immersed in Hungary’s food and wines, falling ever hopelessly in love with the delicious and varied wines, old kitchen traditions, and more modern culinary innovations. Over that time we’ve also been frequent travelers throughout eastern and central Europe—both professionally (scouting for tours) and personally (because we are just intrigued by these regions). We’ve been designing and leading tours to this particular part of Europe since 2016.
Through our immersive trips, we bring small groups of curious travelers along with us on deep and personal explorations of our favorite and most meaningful places. These trips are the result of everything we’ve learned and experienced over the past few decades of our life in Hungary and our travels in Central Europe, and we are proud to share them with our guests. These are trips for food and wine-loving travelers who would like to travel more slowly, quietly, and with deeper intention. We’ll take you behind the scenes to meet the food producers, farmers, and winemakers who we have gotten to know over the past few decades. Our favorite part? The time we spend sitting around a table, eating well, sharing delicious wines, and making lasting memories. We do all of the planning and organizing, all you need to do is shop up with curiosity (and an appetite). We hope you’ll join us for an adventure!
Day by Day Itinerary
Day One: Arrival In Venice — Welcome Dinner with Intro to the flavors of the Mediterranean, Central Europe, Friuli, and Slovenia
MAY 22
This trip begins in Venice, and we’ll meet at the Venice Airport to get started on our adventure. From there, we’ll head to Castello di Spessa, a gorgeous castle and wine estate dating to the Roman era. We’ll find a nice spot on the beautiful grounds to enjoy our first aperitivo, as we introduce ourselves, discuss our plans for the coming week, and meet our local guide, who will be with us for the next few days. Take your time to have a wander around the grounds to stretch your legs before we take a short drive to a nearby family-run restaurant for a slow and leisurely dinner. The restaurant happens to be Michelin-starred, but we love it because the family who runs it has turned it into a fairytale. Located inside of a country house, it has an open courtyard and tasteful familial touches everywhere. Our first meal together will set the stage for the coming week. Inspired by the history and culture of the surrounding border regions, our dinner will showcase a combination of Mediterranean, Central European, Friulian, and Slovenian flavors. After dinner, we’ll drive to Trieste and check into our centrally-located hotel.
Overnight in Trieste.
Day Two: Exploring Trieste
MAY 23
After breakfast we’ll join our expert guide to embark on a walking tour of Trieste, the capital city of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. This laid-back port city on the Adriatic is easily to fall in love with for its stunning architecture (some dating back to the Roman times), canals and sprawling plazas flanked with cafés (which are like second living rooms for the locals), and its history as the most important seaport of the Habsburg Monarchy. Trieste prides itself on being a coffee city, and the locals have many specific ways of taking their coffee. We’ll stop by the headquarters of Illy Coffee, one of Italy’s biggest coffee brands, as well as a few other historic cafés in the city to sample the local coffee and cakes, Trieste-style. Trieste belonged to the Habsburg Monarchy from 1382 until 1918, and we will learn about this defining part of its history. In Trieste there’s a category of eateries called “buffets,” which historically served port workers, travelers, and merchants during the monarchy. We’ll grab lunch during our walk at a classic “buffet”, an institution opened since the 19th century, where we will have a taste of Trieste’s Austro-Hungarian side.
Trieste is also proud to be a city of writers and music, and we’ll hear about James Joyce’s time living here. Later in the day we’ll drive to the Miramare Castle, built in the mid-19th century for Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian. We can wander through the castle, and spend time in the gorgeous gardens and admiring the fine seaside views. Dinner will be just outside of the city, at a lovely family-owned agriturismo, where everything has been homemade for hundreds of years (including the wine).
Overnight in Trieste.
“The trips that we have taken with you have been the best wine experiences that we’ve taken. We have been in many cellars, seen our share of barrels and tanks, and listened to dozens of winemakers tell us why their methods are the best. There is something magical that happens when a winemaker invites you into his kitchen or dining room to share his wine and home cooking with you.
Wayne (USA)
We talk to friends about your tours all the time. The personal touches that you and the winemakers show your guests are astounding. Meeting the whole family behind the wine is something that I’ll never forget. I’ve been with you on a few day trips from Budapest, and I’ve only been in one architect inspired tasting room, and that was an extra stop our driver added. All the others have been in homes or cellars WITH the winemakers, not someone who was hired to deal with the annoying tourists.
To anyone contemplating taking this tour, don’t hesitate. Sign up for a special time with knowledgeable guides that always make it personal and educational. The passion of your staff is among the most intense I have seen.”
Day Three: Friuli Wine Country, Farmstead Cheese, San Daniele Prosciutto
MAY 24
Today we’ll taste our way through the Friuli hills wine country, starting with a visit to a special biodynamic winery just on the Italian side of the border with Slovenia. We’ll taste native varieties like Pignolo, Friulano, and Malvasia, among others. The siblings who run the estate operate on the philosophy of minimal intervention in the winery, biodynamic farming in the vineyards, and maintaining tradition. And their wines are masterful representations of this delicious terroir! We’ll tour the gorgeous estate, and enjoy a tasting with one of the winemakers. Next, we’ll visit a nearby farm and agriturismo specializing in raw milk organic farmstead cheese from local cow breeds. We’ll meet the cows, tour the farm, and sit down for a lunch feast featuring many types of cheese and dairy products from the farm.
Of course we cannot leave this area without getting to know one of its most famous products—San Daniele Prosciutto. Made from Italian pork legs cured with sea salt, this velvety sweet dry-cured ham has Protected Designation of Origin(PDO) status, including aging for a minimum of 16 months in the unique microclimate of San Daniele. We’ll visit a small (but renowned) prosciutto maker where we’ll get to see the aging cellars and learn what it takes to cure a proper ham. Of course, we’ll also take the chance to taste a bunch of different types of prosciutto (washed down with some local wine). Next, we’ll head back into Trieste. Dinner this evening will be at a Trieste institution, a restaurant that has been in operation since 1865, and is now in its fourth generation. Our dinner will be an example of Triestine cuisine at its finest, dishes that combine Triestine, Viennese, and Central European influences and flavors. After dinner, for whoever still has energy to explore, we’ll take a post-dinner walk to sample some cocktails.
Overnight in Trieste.
Day Four: Slovenia, and its Orange Wines
MAY 25
Today we cross the border into Slovenia to delve into the world of orange wine, a style of skin-contact white wine that Slovenia excels at producing. Though this ancient style of winemaking has become trendy, Slovenia has been doing it for hundreds of years. Like many traditions in this part of the world, the orange winemaking process was nearly lost during the 20th century years when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia, and farmers were required to hand over their grapes to the state owned cooperative who favored mass production instead of quality. It was a few Slovenian winemakers in Italy who reignited this wine style again in the 1990s in the Goriška-Brda region (in southwest Slovenia). We’ll start our exploration of this area, which has the longest history of orange winemaking in the country, with a first visit to a small producer who will give us a beautiful introduction and tasting to these wines, and to Slovenian wine in general. Next, we’ll visit another of the region’s iconic winemakers, for a different perspective in this style. We’ll tour the estate, taste from barrels and bottles, and have a lunch prepared just for us, paired with wines. Back in Trieste, this evening you’ll be on your own, so you can have a chance to do some shopping and enjoy one of the city’s many nice restaurants.
Overnight in Trieste.
Day Five: Istria — Truffle Hunting, Motovun, and Dinner by the Sea
MAY 26
This morning we check out of our hotel in Trieste, and head to Istria, where we will be based for the remainder of the trip. We’ll meet our local guide here, who will be with us during this Istria leg. Our first stop is Motovun, a picture-perfect walled Medieval hill town. But before we explore the town’s cobblestoned streets and take in the expansive views of the rolling hills, we will experience the culinary specialty that the town is most famous for: truffles. We’ll meet our truffle hunting guide (and his adorable dogs) in the foothills of Motovun, where we will learn all about the miraculous little black and white truffles that this region is known for. We’ll head into the woods and learn how to find them ourselves, along with the dogs’ help. And then we’ll sit down for a lunch prepared with the truffles that we have foraged (along with some wine from the region to wash it down). After lunch, we’ll spend some time enjoying Motovun before we head to a nearby winery for a relaxed tasting with the winemaker.
Next we head to our new base, the old port town of Rovinj. After settling in, we’ll take a walk around town to get oriented. This beautiful town, surrounded by rocky beaches with crystal clear water (endless opportunities for swimming in the Adriatic!) was first a Roman settlement, later part of the Venetian Empire, and then part of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Some residents still speak a version of Istriot (an old Romance language that was spoken in Istria), and the town is officially bilingual, so you’ll hear both Croatian and Italian. For dinner, we’ll sit so close to the sea that we might get sprayed by the water as we enjoy a feast of local seafood specialties.
Overnight in Rovinj.
Day Six: Cruising the Adriatic, Oyster Farm, Istrian Wine, and More
MAY 27
This morning we’ll meet our captain for the day and hop on his boat for a private boat ride in the Adriatic. The boat will be ours for the day, and we can stop for a dive/swim whenever the warm, clear Adriatic water call to us. Our first destination is the Lim Channel, a 12 kilometer-long valley, with steep hills climbing up both sides. The locals like to mention that this valley was a filming location for The Vikings, a film starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis in the 1950s. But we are heading to Lim for its culinary specialties, particularly its oysters. The special quality of the waters here makes it perfect for farming oysters, and we will visit our favorite oyster farmer, who will tell us about the area’s oysters and fish, as he shucks a bunch of oysters for us to slurp down, along with some of the local wine.
Next we’ll hop back on the boat, where our captain will prepare us an onboard lunch of freshly caught grilled fish. After lunch we’ll head to Porec, a town on the other side of the Istrian peninsula. Porec, a pretty town that is almost 2,000 years old, is set on a harbor, and has a basilica from the 6th century that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We say goodbye to our captain, and head out into the hills to visit our first Croatian winery, where we’ll meet the winemaker and learn about Istrian wines, as we taste through his wines. Dinner will be at an agriturismo, where we’ll try many Istrian dishes, including the special pastas, the local beef, and perhaps more truffles,
Overnight in Rovinj.
Day Seven: Roman architecture of Pula, Cooking Class, Wine Tasting
MAY 28
This morning we will visit Pula, the largest city on the peninsula, with a history going back more than 3,000 years. Known for its well-preserved Roman architecture—including a Roman amphitheater, which we will visit—Pula was another key naval port of the peninsula.
In preparation for our afternoon cooking class, we’ll head to the wonderful and extensive open-air food market, where we’ll meet with a local chef who we’ll spend the rest of the afternoon with. He’ll show us around the market, and we’ll taste a few things as we shop for ingredients for lunch. Back to his farm and open-air kitchen—located in an olive grove in the hills outside of Pula—we’ll cook lunch together. We’ll learn some very important Istrian cooking techniques, including how to make fuži (the local pasta specialty) and how to cook “under the bell.” We’ll enjoy a leisurely lunch with the fruits of our labors, paired with wines from the region. After lunch we’ll head back to Rovinj for a few hours of downtime. In the evening we’ll visit a really unique biodynamic winery, with beautiful, organically farmed vineyards. We’ll enjoy a light dinner with the winemaker, paired with many of his wines.
Overnight in Rovinj.
Day Eight: Free-Range Goat Farm, Istrian Olive Oil, Farewell Seafood Dinner
MAY 29
We’ll save the best for last! This morning we’ll visit a free-range organic goat farm, where we can mingle with hundreds of goats and meet the farmers. After spending some time on the grounds, we’ll enjoy a lunch featuring goat cheese, various dairy products made from goat milk, and other products from the farm. Next, we’ll finally do a deep dive into a product that we have been enjoying all week—Istrian olive oil, which is often called the best in the world. This olive oil is intense, peppery, and grassy, and is produced from indigenous olives like Buža and Rosinjola. Istria has been producing olive oil for 2,500 years, and has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. We’ll visit one of the region’s premier producers to learn about this liquid gold, and of course, to taste many different types. We’ll even learn how to use the oil in a cocktail! Our farewell dinner will be at a cozy restaurant owned by a fisherman and his family, where we will feast on fish, olive oil, and wines from the region.
Overnight in Rovinj.
Day Nine: Departure
MAY 30
Today we depart. We’ll drop you either at Venice International Airport or back in Trieste.
We will do our best to keep to this itinerary, but it is subject to change based on weather conditions, availability, or unforeseen circumstances. If any activities must be changed, we will do our best to substitute them with a similar one.
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