Vrbani: Lavender, Cycling Routes and Istrian Culture

The Vižinada Cycle Route (101) leads towards Vrbani and Nardući; OPG Oklen is listed at Vrbani 3. The wider destination of Općina Vižinada also offers excursion and cultural attractions. This makes the choice of location a thematic starting point for cycling, lavender and olive oil products, and regional culture.

OPG Oklen: Lavender and Olive Oil

OPG Oklen is listed at Vrbani 3 in Vižinada. The business produces lavender oil by distilling fresh lavender flowers and dries lavender to fill sachets. OPG Oklen also produces extra virgin olive oil using cold pressing. The processing methods distinguish the products: lavender is distilled or dried, while olive oil is cold-pressed. Lavanda Oklen is listed at Vrbani 3 as lavender fields. If you would like to visit the fields, check in advance whether and how a visit is possible.

Cycling the Vižinada (101) Route

Both the total distance and notable landmarks are available to help plan your route. The 24-kilometre Vižinada (101) route heads towards Vrbani and Nardući about five kilometres from Vižinada, then continues to the Vrbanovica viewpoint. There are five designated photo points and around a dozen historic churches and chapels along the route. The trail connects with several other cycling routes. A guide can be arranged through the tourist information centre.

Walking Trails in Općina Vižinada

In the wider destination of Općina Vižinada, the 6.9-kilometre Srce Vižinade 504 walking route offers a clearly defined distance: it passes through Bajkini, Vranje Selo and Crklada. Along the way, you can visit local winemakers and olive growers and sample their products.

Staza Pogleda 501 follows the former Parenzana railway line and continues through fields, vineyards and olive groves. Its highest point is 353 metres above sea level. The route also leads to the Sabadin Viaduct, also known as Veli most or St. Vital: the structure is 64 metres long and 20 metres high. The walking trails can therefore be chosen according to different interests: for Route 504, the distance and tastings are concrete points of reference, while Staza Pogleda 501 focuses on the landscape and viaduct.

Landscape and Architectural History in Općina Vižinada

In the wider destination of Općina Vižinada, Vižinada sits on a hill at the southern edge of the Mirna Valley. From there, views extend across the surrounding countryside, vineyards and olive groves. A stone relief of the Lion of St. Mark from the 15th century is preserved in the central square. The cistern in the same square was completed in 1782 in local limestone, to a design by the Rovinj-born architect Simone Battistella.

The Church of St. Barnabas is a Romanesque double-apse church dating from the 12th or 13th century and is considered the largest of its kind in Istria. The church contains around thirty graffiti inscriptions in Glagolitic and Latin script. On Božje Polje stands the single-nave late Gothic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, dating from the 15th century; its star-shaped ribbed vault is decorated with frescoes. On the feast of Vela Gospa, it remains a pilgrimage site for worshippers from all over Istria. The pilgrimage tradition dates back at least to the Middle Ages.

Events in Općina Vižinada

Slatka Istra takes place every year on 14 August in the centre of Vižinada. It showcases traditional Istrian cakes made from old recipes and includes tastings of local wines. The čakavian poetry festival Verši na šterni has been held regularly since 1993, on the second Saturday in June, at the Baroque Battistella Cistern. New, previously unpublished čakavian poems are presented there and preserved in a collection.

The Parenzana cycling marathon is also a recurring event: it takes place every year in mid-September in Vižinada, covers 46.7 kilometres and is accompanied by a walk of around ten kilometres. If an event date is important to your travel plans, check the specific dates before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Crklada, Staniši, Bajkini, Markovići, Baldaši, Vizinada, Filipi, Lašići.

Back to the wider travel overview: Općina Vižinada.