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Agrotourism

Agrotourism
Fertile plains
The contrast between the relative prosperity of life on the Dalmatian coast and the Zadar hinterland couldn't be more stark. Despite the fertility of the Ravni kotari plains where grapevines have been tended for centuries and cherry orchards once bloomed, to eke out a living here is tough. Industry and “development” as we understand it in an urban sense have barely touched the way of life here.

It takes vision to see that this is, in fact, a blessing. It’s a blessing which has been turned to the advantage of settlements in other parts of Croatia, such as Istria, where a new kind of tourism has developed catering for those of us who seek to escape from modern life when we have a little free time. In places like this, we can enjoy peace, complete rest and enrich our understanding of how our forebears lived. We can live the natural way, eating traditional food, and the wine we drink imbues us with a sense of the paternal care which has gone into making every drop, far from the rattle of industry.This is what we mean by agrotourism, a concept which is taking off in many of the unspoilt corners of Europe. And this is where the people of the lands behind Zadar see their future. Follow us to meet them, and find out what they’re doing…
First of all, let’s head for Benkovac, a historic settlement with a massive archaeological site in its environs that was once an important Bronze Age and Roman town. From Zadar, head for Benkovac, following the signs for Zemunik – the tiny airport with a runway that crosses the road, forcing cars to stop and wait at the barrier while a plane takes off or lands in front of you! This is the only place left in Europe where you can experience this. In the villages around Benkovac you can find families who are tending the first tentative shoots of an agrotourism “industry”.

In Šopot, Ljubica Vuksan can offer you seasonal fruit and vegetables, home made cheese, rakija, olive oil and home baked bread. Tel. (023) 68 60 06. By the way, when we mention home made cheese – and we will a lot - we should point out that there are many variations on the theme, and this can be something that beats the living crap out of the shop-bought variety. This is also true for rakija (fruit spirit), in fact so true that once you’ve tried the home made variety you’ll turn your nose up at the commercial stuff.

In Tinj, Mrs Bosiljka Mitrović makes cheese from sheeps’ or cows’ milk, bread, rakija, cakes and more, and also has home grown vegetables. Call (023) 63 31 33. If you prefer goats’ milk cheese, head for Bibinje and ask for Mr Marino Šimunić.

In Bruška, call Mrs Ljuba Čačić- Bruška (023) 789 14 31, and you can order a special home made cake called Prisnac, made from best quality local produce. This cake is also made by Mrs Maša Mitrović in Zelengrad, tel. (023) 788 88 81, along with bread. Prisnac was traditionally eaten on important fast days, such as Christmas Eve, Good Friday and All Souls. It’s made with a kind of cottage cheese and was reserved for the most honoured guests. Buy some local cheese and make your own.

Prisnac Ingredients: 1 kg soft young cheese (cows’ milk) 40 ml soured cream 5 eggs 1 kg filo pastry Mix the cheese, cream and eggs until smooth, add salt to taste. Lay three sheets of pastry together, spread some cheese mix at one end, and roll. Place in a baking tray. When the tray is full of rolls, glaze with beaten egg and bake in the oven at 200-220°C until golden. Cut into pieces and serve – can be eaten warm or cold.

Where to find the best locally-produced cheese? The award for the best cheeses in Zadar County this year go to: Nevenka Krucki (village Deriga) tel. 098 26 51 14 and Vesna Kesic, Gracac, tel. 091 586 09 11.

The Markica family have set up an eco tourism facility at their cottage at Jošani, near Galovac, which is great if you have kids – they’ll be kept amused for hours once they meet Putan the donkey (a name sure to delight of speakers of Spanish and Italian), and Zvjezdana and Zoran the ostriches. There’s also a play area for moments when the animals just can’t take any more loving. Call in advance and English-speaking Marina and her father will prepare you lamb roast on the spit or in traditional ispod peke style. You can join in the cooking if you wish, and try home made cheese, prosciutto, wine, rakija and honey. Call (023) 39 22 22. To get there, cross the runway, turn right after the airport, turn left after 2km following the sign for Galovac. After the railway tracks you’ll see a yellow building – the village school. Just before the school is a left turn. Follow that for 1.5km and you’ve reached the Markica family home. 

The village of Polača near Benkovac is home to the Ravni kotari Hippodrome, where, on August 13 this year floodlit horse races will be held. In Polača the villagers have also prepared active breaks where you can join in tending the local vineyards, grape harvesting and, of course, sampling the award-winning local wine “Zlatna kap” – “Golden Drop”. You can call the hosts listed below, who can organise a day or weekend for you. Alternatively, call into one of the traditional restaurants (konoba) where you can enjoy the fruits of other peoples’ labour in utter relaxation. The active breaks are great if you’d like to really get the feel of living and working under these skies. To get to Polača, you can go either towards Benkovac and turn right at the sign for Polača, or follow the route to Biograd, turning left for Benkovac. See the map at the back of this guide. 
Active breaks – the numbers to call
Petar Tuta – (023) 66 23 55
Viktor Prtenjača – (091) 662 00 22
Nedjeljko Prtenjača (091) 583 88 74
Zdravko Bobanović – (091) 662 00 21
Pavao Škara – (023) 66 22 24
Zdenko Prtenjača (098) 41 60 69 

Stunning uplands 
An equally rewarding way to enjoy untouched nature and air so clear it squeaks is to head for the Velebit mountains, where the Velebit Nature Park and Paklenica National Park afford a host of delights to hikers, bikers and climbers. Even if you’re not the active type, you can still enjoy local hospitality at a new mountain centre called “Vrata Velebita” – “The Velebit Gateway”. It’s been opened by an enterprising fellow and a dedicated enthusiast of the Velebit mountains, who has created a recreation centre where you can camp, stay in a bungalow, indulge in games and enjoy a meal and a drop of wine in the rustic restaurant or wine tasting room. Even you don’t intend to stay but just fancy poking into Velebit for the day, you can lock your food in a refrigerated cabinet and cook it yourself using the barbecues and cooking equipment provided. You can see that this place has been created by someone who knows his hiking. 

Just a short walk up the hill from the centre, you have spectacular views over the Zadar Archipelago laid out in the sea below. Around are flower-strewn meadows of an incredible, lush green with fascinating peaks and rock formations. Nearby is also an unusual and ancient cemetery (“počivala”) where, according to local custom, coffins were laid for a while so that souls could escape before the body was put in the grave. 

Velebit is great either from the point of view of nature lovers and people looking to enjoy beautiful scenery, or for climbers. Both those groups should head to a field called Stap. Here, you can enjoy spectacular karst scenery – cliffs, peaks, bridges, caves and windows – whilst surrounded by grass, beech forests and cool mountain air. Look out for signs left by the late Slavko Tomerlin Tatek, the area’s greatest explorer, who set up a cabin, carved artistic details in the rocks nearby, and installed a water pump for an underground spring. 10mins walk from the cabin he found a windowed cave which he named “The Chapel” and sculpted a statue of St Anthony to decorate it. 

Getting there: Follow the coast road north of Zadar via Starigrad, and you come to the village of Tribanj-Krušćica. Look for the signs for Ljubotić village, and follow the road uphill for about 3.5km. You’ll easily see the Vrata Velebita camp in the village. The camp is so well equipped there are even huge maps of hiking trails and places of interest for you to study as you attend to your toilette. The camp is within the Velebit Nature Park and just 12km from the Paklenica National Park. 
Asses’ milk 
Ever fancied bathing Cleopatra style? Visit the Dar-Mar Donkey farm, and you can buy asses’ milk to take home and add a touch of Ancient Egypt to your beauty routine. You might not feel like bathing in it unless you just happen to be an oligarch – a 10ml bottle costs 20kn. Cleopatra knew what the score was – donkey milk is reputed to be excellent for promoting a beautiful complexion, and as well as healing various skin disorders, is the cure for a variety of ills, according to research unearthed by the farm’s owner. It’s supposed to be highly digestible and suitable for people with milk intolerance. Whether you fancy trying it or not, with a herd of 27 donkeys including young ones, it’s a delightful spot to call in on the road between Zadar and the road bridge to Pag island. There’s a restaurant,and  you can feed the donkeys too if you feel guilty enough, and the other baby animals toddling around are very amenable to a spot of petting.

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