Buje town in Istria is getting ready for the 112th edition of Grape Days
Yes, you read that right: the traditional manifestation goes back 112 years, to 1905 when the first fešta dedicated to grapes and wine took place in the charming town in Istria. It was launched to celebrate the opening of a wine cellar where grapes from the wider Buje area were processed in the following decades. What better way to celebrate the long-running tradition than with a proper bash?
To pay tribute to the town’s history, this year’s festival will take place in the said cellar, one that’s been out of use for a long time.
“The Grape Days are the most significant manifestation, important both to the town and its citizens and making for a way to promote the whole region in the tourism sector. Numerous institutions, associations and volunteers take part in the organisation process, all of them eager to make sure this year’s festivities go well, in high spirits. I want to invite all citizens and other guests to join us, and I’d say anyone could find something to their liking in the programme”, said Buje Mayor Fabrizio Vižintin.
They really did prepare a rich programme: everyone’s favourite event, a ceremonial parade paying tribute to agriculture and wine making, will pass through town with the youngest citizens of Buje at the helm.
In order to preserve tradition and draw attention to the historical core of Buje, they prepared an attractive musical walk called ‘Bakhove kontrade’ – Streets of Bacchus, a manifestation that’s about to fill the streets and squares in Buje with music performances, leading to the crowning event in the Court of Bacchus where grape-stomping girls will remind the visitors of how wine got made back in the day.
The Grape Days kick off on Friday, September 15, with a couple of sports events and a wine-themed walk around town. There’s also the ‘Istria folk fest’, an event featuring folklore ensembles coming from multiple countries.
In case you have a sweet tooth, you’ll probably be delighted by the International Grape Cake Festival, starting on Saturday at 17:00. Leave some room for Sunday, though, as we’re headed for tasting of a gigantic crostata measuring no less than 112 metres in length – an ambitious feat devised to honour the long tradition of the festival.
“We’ll try to reintroduce certain features that got a bit forgotten in recent years, according to our citizens who were right to point it out. This means we’ll again organise for an ox to be roasted on a spit, and we’ll move the entire gastronomic offer to Istarska street. Every manifestation has our local winemakers participating, but as this is a famous winemaking area, we’ll make sure to introduce more wine-related content in the coming years”, said Rino Duniš from the organising team.
Let’s all keep fingers crossed for nice weather!
Source: Glas Istre
Photo credit: Istra
