Special travel guide

Feast and live like Giacomo Casanova once did

The Eselböcks have arrived "in paradise" and want to give others a taste for it too.

(Bild: Lukas Beck)

Next summer is sure to come. Gourmet vacationers who want to spend it in Istria should browse through the new travel guide by Walter and Eveline Eselböck. It contains plenty of insider culinary tips.

"Man does not live by bread alone. They also need food for the mind and soul," is Eveline and Walter Eselböck's credo. This was already the case when the restaurateur couple were still running the "Taubenkobel" in Schützen am Gebirge, which soon turned from an excursion inn into a popular meeting place for the art scene. Guests would sit there late into the night with wine and good food and philosophize about God and the world. 

Today, the award-winning gourmet restaurant is run by daughter Barbara and son-in-law Alain Weisgerber, while the Eselböcks have relaunched their guesthouse and run two pretty boutique hotels in their adopted home of Istria: Villa Evelina in Opatija and Villa Valter in Lovran.

The Istrian wines surprise with every sip.

(Bild: Lukas Beck)

This is the way to live ...

(Bild: Lukas Beck)

Everything your heart desires
The couple, who have an affinity for food and culture, have long since explored every corner of the Adriatic peninsula and can therefore answer their guests' questions - "Where can you eat and drink well? Where can you get exquisite olive oil, the best mussels and the most spectacular wine? And where is living art at home?" - can answer these questions off the top of their heads. Holidaymakers really appreciate these insider tips - after all, Walter Eselböck is considered one of the best chefs in Europe and sommelier Eveline Eselböck is a profound connoisseur of the wine scene.

Because many of the taverns, konobas, bars and galleries mentioned do not yet have websites and are therefore difficult to find for those who are not looking for them directly, the two have now written a very personal travel guide. It is called "Our Istria" and combines insights into the history, gastronomy and art of the region.

Their book "Our Istria" has been published by edition a-Verlag.

(Bild: Lukas Beck)

Sip oysters at a reasonable price
The Eselböcks have traveled to all corners of the world to bring the beauty of this little corner of the world closer to those interested. In their book, for example, they take you to Novigrad, the town of gourmets, where Damir and Ornella only serve raw fish. To the mountain village of Buzet, where the best truffles are served. To the lost paradise of Brijuni, where all kinds of meat are cooked in clay pots on an open fire. And to the sleepy fishing village of Vrsar, where the much-hunted bon vivant and womanizer Giacomo Casanova once spent a pleasant break and where Emil Sošić now cultivates world-class oysters.

Annamaria Kolić prepares meat and fish in the peka or cripnja. That's what the clay pots are called.

(Bild: Lukas Beck)

The whole thing often simmers for hours, giving it a particularly intense flavor.

(Bild: Lukas Beck)

The smallest town in the world
"A visit to artist Tomislav Brajnović's Studio Golo Brdo is also highly recommended. You can admire his works there while sipping homemade wine and fruity, spicy cognac," they enthuse. But Hum, the smallest town in the world, where only 30 people live, is also a must-see. The mayoral election in particular is a chapter in itself: "Every inhabitant there has their own piece of wood. If his fellow citizens are satisfied with one of his deeds, they add a notch to the piece of wood. Whoever has the most notches on their log at the end of the year becomes mayor. This proves that politicians have a lot on their plate!"