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Brist Olive Grove Tours
Reconnecting with nature, your senses and each other.
Contact Information
Paul O'Grady
Lena Puhar O'Grady
A Deeper Istrian Experience
Welcome to the Santa Margherita olive grove where we invite you to a very special experience with us. Located on the gentle slopes above Vodnjan, and with a view over the Brijuni Islands, our grove is not just about the natural heritage but also about the beautiful cultural heritage to be found there.
All of our tours are interactive and are always a two way conversation about the many elements that go into producing a world-class olive oil in a sustainable and ethical way. We love our tours to be a sharing experience, not just of our thoughts but yours too. Most importantly our tours (especially our summer tours) are a chance to slow down and to create a deeper connection with nature and each other.
Whether you visit us as a couple to relax and recharge your batteries or come to us with your children to enjoy the wonderful energy at the heart of everything we do, you are very welcome.
We hope to see you soon.
Paul & Lena.
We are delighted that our tours and experiences are often reviewed by our guests as a must see attraction and one of the best things to do here in Istria.
We have two types of olive farm visits, our Olive Grove Walking Tour which we offer in autumn, winter and in the springtime, and our very special Evening Under Olives in the summer which is an easy-going walking tour combined with a light evening dinner in our olive groves. See below for more details.
We are a small family so our tours are on limited days shown below. If you are a group of 8 or more, it may be possible to request a different day.
An Evening Under Olives
Walking Tour
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An Evening Under Olives
Gastro Tour (June – September)
Summer evenings are really special occasions. All of us love to meet people and share experiences when the busy part of the day is done. We run tours just a couple of evenings a week as Lena and I have a young family. We have limited places as we always want our tours to be personal and an opportunity to hear a little bit of your story, as we share ours.
Location: Sta. Margherita Olive Grove
Duration: 3 hours
Includes:
- early evening olive farm walking tour
- lead by family members Paul or Lena
- learn about growing, harvest & production
- learn about Istria’s 2000-year olive oil history
- visit the 13th century Sta. Margherita Chapel
- guided tasting of Brist ‘Exclusive Selection’
- light traditional meal with sparkling wine
- taste the full range of Brist olive oil with different dishes
- experience sunset over the Brijuni Islands
- watch the stars come out. 🙂
Price: Adults €45,00 / Teens €25,00 / Children €15,00 / 0 – 4 years Free
More than just a tour!
we start in the evening on our Istrian olive farm after the heat of the day, and discover the story behind our oils and the wider story of Istrian olive oil. The tour is relaxed and covers the sustainable work of the farm, but also the ecology, biodiversity, history and archaeology of the area. You will learn why these gentle hills around Vodnjan, with a view over the Brijuni Islands, have been considered the perfect place to grow olives since Roman times.
After the walking part of the tour we sit and relax by the centennial trees in the heart of our grove. There we give you an expert olive oil tasting at sunset. We follow this with a picnic of traditionally fresh foods of cured meats, local cheese and fruits and veggies all locally sourced from our grove and the area making this tour an authentic Croatian and local Vodnjan experience. We conclude our sunset tour with sparkling wine, good conversation by candlelight until the stars come out and the night envelops the grove.
Olive Grove Walking Tour
(September – June)
Our walking tours are really something great. With less visitors there is a great opportunity for the tour to really be a great chat and to cover so much more of your questions. We do tours on windy days and rainy days also, and it is wonderful to see the grove in full action when all the elements of nature are at their most intense.
Ths Croatian olive oil tour is dynamic, and covers not only the work of an olive farm, but looks at the amazing ecology, history and archaeology of the area. You will learn why these gentle hills around Vodnjan, with a view of the sea, have been considered the perfect place to grow olives for over 2000 years.
Location: Sta Margherita Olive Farm
Duration:
75 mins or 2 hours including shop tasting
Includes:
- an olive farm walking tour
- lead by family members Paul or Lena
- learn about growing, harvest & production
- learn about Istria’s 2000-year olive oil history
- visit the 13th century Sta. Margherita Chapel
- optional recommended tasting at our shop
- No extra charge for shop tasting
Price: Adults €25,00 / Teens €15,00 / Children €10,00 / 0 – 4 years Free
winter tours too... (hold onto your hat!)
Autumn, winter and spring are also wonderful times to visit the grove and a real opportunity to see behind the scenes of what olive growing is all about. During the cooler parts of the year we also do walking tours. Be ready, when nature takes control, it can get a little wild up there on our olive grove, but the wildness is beautiful…
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