What is the
perfect vacation? It is a question to which two identical answers will seldom be found. Some will associate vacations exclusively with
relaxing, others want a vacation
full of activities, others like to visit
cities and
museums, so there is no exact answer to this question. If you decide to spend your holidays in our
beautiful Croatia, we are sure that you will find exactly the kind of vacation that you associate with a dream vacation.
For those who want to
enjoy the sea and beaches, but at the same time see and learn something new, we have prepared this interesting post. Thanks to its rich tourist offer,
Istria has taken a strong place among the world-famous tourist destinations. One of the symbols of this region is undoubtedly the
city of Rovinj. If you have already booked one of our
beautiful villas with a swimming pool in Rovinj or its surroundings, we are sure that our post dedicated to the
culture and tradition of Rovinj will interest you.
The town of Rovinj is located on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula, so it is not surprising that there is a
long tradition of fishing and shipbuilding. As Istrians love and preserve their tradition, it is not surprising that they dedicated a museum to one of the symbols of the city of Rovinj. Namely, it is about the
Batana Eco-museum, which was named after the
traditional fishing boat Batana.
The
museum is located in the very center of the city, and placed in a
house where fishermen once lived with their families. The museum has a permanent exhibition dedicated to the culture and tradition of the city of Rovinj. The exhibition is
multimedial, which makes it interesting and different from typical museum exhibitions. In the museum you can
hear the old Rovinj dialect during the slide show. There you can also see the
process of making the Batana boat, after which the museum was named.
In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum also has a program that takes place in the city itself. If you take a
guided tour, you can visit the
Small Shipyard located on the waterfront near the museum, where old boats are repaired and new ones are built.
Five new Batana boats were built here, with the desire to preserve the tradition, all thanks to the museum that was
founded in 2004.
Batanas are 4 to 8.5 m long and are specific because they have a
flat bottom. The flat bottom allowed fishermen to sail and fish on
shallow seashores. It is assumed that they got their name from the italian verb battare which means thumping. Namely, the boat hits the waves with its flat bottom while sailing, so that could be the reason for the name Batana. Today Batanas have engines that run them, but earlier they had a
cotton sail that was painted in yellow, red and green shades.
From the beginning of June until the end of August, it is possible to participate in the process of
building a boat and mending fishermen´s nets. The Feast of the Little Shipyard is part of the Eco-museum, set-up where visitors can experience
real fishing life. Boats are being repaired, nets are being patched and the traditional
fishing song bitinada is being sung.
Once you’ve learned all about the Batana boat and even helped repair it, you may also want to
experience a Batana sail. If yes, we definitely recommend an evening ride. The voyage begins at
Mali Mol, candles are lit and a
romantic ride around the old town begins. Enjoy the sunset and the view of Rovinj. The evening continues in
Spacio, ie a tavern where
delicious local food and
excellent Istrian wine awaits you. An evening boat ride, delicious food, kind hosts -everything you need for a perfect end to the day!
For the end, we left something that will surely delight sea sports fans. Namely, the
Rovinj regatta of traditional boats is being held in Rovinj in June, also under the auspices of the
Eco-museum. The aim of the regatta is to preserve the tradition of using sails that have been almost completely replaced by engines, a cooperation with Italian colleagues who also protect their traditional boats from oblivion and of course
a lot of fun!
We hope that we have aroused your interest and that you will visit the Eco-museum and the open-air exhibition. Indulge in the
magic of summer and sail in the Batana boat at
sunset in beautiful Rovinj!
Petra Stazic
11.3.2022
MY ISTRIA GUIDE
