We are the N.I.C.E. team. We all live and work in the Vrh area and it is our home, and we will
happily become your hosts and friends!
Let us take you into our story in which you are the main participants, and the main goal is with
the help of a few fun and easy tasks to fill your N.I.C.E. bag.
About the NICE tour
Through a game and interesting stories that will be revealed to you by your personal tourist guide
Zdenka, you will get to know and taste the delicacies that northern Istria offers. You will be able
to meet local people and their way of life. Adriano will teach you how to make your first
sparkling wine; Radmila and her son Ivan will show you where and how to find truffles. With
Kristijan and his father Ivan you will get acquainted with their “home pharmacy,” taste the most
delicious homemade brandies which are also medicines for various body conditions and are
carefully made from selected indigenous plants and fruits. At Dario’s you will taste the best Teran, Malvasia and
Muscat in northern Istria.
At the very end, to complete our story, Melita and Dejan will welcome you in their tavern in Vrh
with the last task before lunch, which they will prepare for you personally. We guarantee that
during lunch a real rhapsody of flavors awaits your palates and all your senses.
In the end, as a memento of staying in our homeland and spending time with us, you will be left
with your N.I.C.E. bag full of Istrian flavors!
Allow us introduce ourselves, we are the partners in the NICE tour
*****
My name is Zdenka. I live in Vrh and I have been a tourist guide for Istria in English, French and
Italian language for 13 years. I love to travel, explore and reveal Istria to everyone who wants to
spend their vacation here. I like to create experiences, excursions, events, and activities, so it
naturally followed that I opened my small boutique travel agency “Istriana travel” 13 years ago.
I became the first tourist guide specialized in truffle hunting and I am also a certified heritage
interpreter guide. I love to unveil Istrian history, culture, food, way of Istrian life, etc. to our
guests. Since last year, I am slowly developing the sub-brand “Tours Istria – Authentic
Experience,” whose main goal is to introduce individual guests to a special offer of experiences
in Istria.
N.I.C.E. program fits perfectly into what I do, so I will be very happy to be your host and guide
during this tour.
Welcome N.I.C.E. friends!
About the hosts
*****
We are the Karlić family, more precisely Radmila and Ivan. A mother and son that everyone
knows as truffle hunters from Paladini.
I am Radmila and I have hunted truffles since I was 10, when my dad taught me the first truffle
steps. I am one of the first women of recent times who began to take truffle hunting in Istria more
seriously. Together with my family, husband Goran, daughter Ivana and son Ivan, we
accomplished our dream and on the family tradition, developed a company for hunting, buying, and distributing truffle products. If you want to experience a top family welcome, meet our
specially trained dogs, and taste the truffles delicacies, we suggest you visit us.
I'm Ivan, a passionate truffle hunter who has hunted truffles since I was seven when my mother
took me to the woods for the first time. I have since fallen in love with the smell and taste of
truffles.
I am currently leading the sale of fresh truffles in restaurants in Croatia, as well as the export of
truffles to almost all countries in the world. I can say for myself that I am a big hedonist, and it is
not unusual for me to prepare a delicious dish with truffles.
*****
We are Ivan and Kristijan from a small quiet village of Kijek near Lake Butoniga. Our family has
been engaged in agriculture since ancient times, and so the tradition of working in the fields and
vineyards has been passed down from generation to generation. In 1993, we founded a family-run
farm that is mostly focused on viticulture and winemaking. We are best known for the production of
brandies and liqueurs, of which everyone certainly knows our brandy Biska (brandy with
mistletoe), which we can boast of being for many years the best rated and most awarded brandy
in Istria. To see and try all our products, it is best to visit us. Cherry liqueur, coffee, carob, honey,
teran, and many other of our "medicines" wait for you. Welcome!
*****
We are Melita and Dejan, a young couple who decided to turn their dreams into reality and
opened their own restaurant. Lovers of their homeland, original wines, and indigenous cuisine,
who want traditional recipes not to be forgotten and to stay present among both the elderly and
the young.
We are happy to live in an area that offers real natural resources such as truffles, olive oil, and
wine. Also, there is our most famous indigenous cattle, the Istrian boškarin. When we serve these
blessings in combination with our handmade pasta, a combination of perfect pleasures is created
that faithfully evoke all the splendor of Vrh area. By coming to us, you will feel at home, and we
will do our best that this gastronomic experience stays forever with you, and for the past to live
long in the future! We will also be happy to share a few recipes with you. Welcome!
*****
My name is Adriano and, as they say, I am the master of anti-stress programs. Everyone who
visits my little “unfancy” basement leaves very relaxed. My brother Mauro and I continued the
family tradition started by our great-grandfather, then grandfather, followed by our father, and
then us. On the ground floor of the house where our father lived, homemade sparkling wines are
made. Our hobby is the production of "Butilija", an autochthonous Istrian and top-quality
sparkling wine in a limited edition of only 2000 bottles per year, which we each fill, turn by hand, and pack for a selected audience. When I’m stressed, I go down to the basement and turn the
bottles. If, after turning them all over, I’m still nervous, I open one and drink it up. If you want to
be relaxed and hear our story, visit us!
*****
I am Dario and I am the third in the family generation engaged in viticulture. The tradition of
growing vines and producing wine has been cherished in our family for decades. About 20 years
ago, I joined the family farm and since then we have been paying more attention to planting,
growing vines, winemaking, and olive growing. Our vineyards spread on four hectares of white
marl and clay soil, where after handpicking we make our famous wines: Istrian Malvasia, Teran,
Diamant Muscat, Chardonnay and Rose. We invite you to visit us, get to know us, our family-run
farm, and of course, to taste our wines! Cheers!
*****
N.I.C.E. program (for a group of 2-8 guests)
PRICELIST
PRICE PER PERSON IN EURO BASED
ON YOUR OWN TRANSPORTATION
2 PAX: 1620,00 kn / 215 €
3 PAX: 1245,00 kn / 165 €
4 PAX: 1095,00 kn / 145 €
5 PAX: 1020,00 kn / 135 €
6 PAX: 1020,00 kn /135 €
7 PAX: 980,00 kn / 130 €
8 PAX: 980,00 kn /130 €
Car transfer A/C Peugeot 5008
from Istria or Rijeka/Opatija
region: 1095,00 HRK /145 €
Passenger van 8+1 Opel Vivaro
from Istria or Rijeka/Opatija
region: 2000,00 HRK /265 €
*Exchange rate: 7,53450
Min participants: 2 pax
Travel agencies are most welcome.
The tour is available for a max of 20 persons upon request.
Possible additional services:
- Transfer
- Accommodation
- walking tour
- multiday N.I.C.E. package
When to participate:
From March to January
Meeting point:
Church bell tower in Vrh
GPS: 45.36048109216408, 13.938934796290377
Duration:
Approx. 6.5 hours
Available for:
Adults and children.
The tour is not available for disabled people.
The tour is available upon announcement and even in case
of light rain.
