Photo by Lili Basic
Meet us in the rolling green hills of the Croatian countryside.
Join us in the heart of Istria at the height of truffle season for a five day retreat designed to inspire, nourish and refresh.
Days will be spent exploring charming seaside villages and medieval hilltop towns. Come evening, we’ll gather around the outdoor hearth of our ancient stone villa to cook meals together, then sit down to share al fresco feasts paired with local wines.
This workshop is for cooks of all levels who love food, community, nature and adventure. Together we’ll dive into the basics of building and combining flavors, cooking with the seasons and surroundings, and learning open fire cooking techniques.
This is a slow food and lifestyle retreat. We’ll couple fun excursions and hands-on lessons with plenty of leisure time to rest, lounge in the sun with a book, swim in the infinity pool and take in the extraordinary beauty of the region.
Photo by Lili Basic
INCLUDED
The retreat price of $3200-$3700 includes the following:
Accommodations | We’ll stay at a private hamlet of beautifully restored stone villas tucked into the enchanting Istrian countryside. The grounds include lush gardens, infinity pools with breathtaking views, and an outside kitchen complete with central hearth. All guests will enjoy private or shared bedrooms with en suite bathrooms or shared bathrooms. See below for more details about accommodation options.
Meals + Refreshments | All snacks, meals and beverages will be provided. A light breakfast, tea and coffee will be provided in your villas. Each day will bring a new excursion with lunch. Dinners will include snacks and a fire-cooked feast, paired with local wines and spirits.
Excursions | Curated day trips to charming villages and a truffle foraging haven include lunch with wine.
Lessons | Each day we will explore flavors and techniques, highlighting the bounty of the region and sharing our seasonal farm-to-fire approach to cooking. The lessons will take place in an outside kitchen, focusing on open-fire cooking techniques such as grilling, ash-roasting, string-roasting, and using our favorite unique Croatian cooking tool/method: the peka. Together we’ll prep and cook dinner each evening, then sit down to share the bountiful meal we’ve created.
Materials | All class materials will be provided. You are welcome to bring an apron and your own culinary knives.
Fire Cooking Handbook | Attendees will receive a digital handbook outlining live fire cooking fundamentals, techniques and recipes to put to use for their own gatherings with friends and family.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, October 1 | Guests arrive at the hamlet of villas near the village of Livade, arriving between 4-5:30pm. Gather at 6pm for welcome drinks, introductions, dinner, wine and merriment, then a good night’s rest.
Wednesday, October 2 | Excursions to historic hilltop village and a seaside town for lunch overlooking the bay, then return to villa to prepare and enjoy dinner together.
Thursday, October 3 | Excursions to historic hilltop village and a truffle experience with truffle-laden lunch, then return to villa to prepare and enjoy dinner together.
Friday, October 4 | Olive oil tasting and lunch at the villa (or choose to adventure out on your own), then prepare and enjoy dinner together at the villa.
Saturday, October 5 | Farewell open fire brunch and departure by 11am.
TRAVEL
Guests are responsible for all travel to and from the workshop location, including airfare and ground transpiration to the villa, located in a small hamlet near the village of Livade.
The airports nearest to the villa are Pula and Zagreb in Croatia, and Trieste and Venice in Italy. Approximate drive times are Pula: 1 hr, Trieste: 1.5 hrs, Venice: 2.5 hrs, and Zagreb: 3 hrs.
We recommend flying into one of the nearby airports and either renting a car or arranging a car share with a fellow workshop attendee (we’ll connect guests prior to the trip) for the drive to Istria.
POLICIES + SUGGESTIONS
Insurance | We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance to cover unforeseen circumstances such as illness/injury, natural disasters or flight cancellations. Cover the unexpected and protect your investment by exploring plans from Allianz, Insure My Trip or Travelex.
Cancellation | Due to the nature of this retreat, we must adhere to a firm no refunds policy. By registering for this retreat, you acknowledge and agree to this policy. Should you need to cancel and have chosen not to purchase travel insurance, it is your responsibility to sell or gift your spot(s) accordingly.
Payment | To reserve your spot, you may pay in full or spread over two installments - half now and the other half 60 days before the retreat, payable on or before August 1, 2023. To choose the 50% deposit option, please use the code TOURNANTDEPOSIT at check out. If you reserve after August 1, the full payment will be due upon checkout.
Fine Print | All guests must be 21 or over. Local mask, health and safety mandates will be observed. Pets are not permitted on this retreat. Due to the considerable cost and effort that goes into planning a retreat such as this, we will require a minimum guest count in order to proceed. If retreat is cancelled by organizers, a full refund will be issued to all attendees; in all other cases, tickets are nonrefundable. Menus for this retreat will be omnivorous, though we’ll do our best to accommodate food allergies. Photos and/or video from this event may be used by Tournant and its partners for marketing purposes.
Phone | WiFi is available at the villa but may not be reliable. We suggest contacting your service provider for options when traveling outside the country.
Acknowledgements | Registering for this workshop assumes acknowledgment of all the conditions contained within this retreat description.
Communications | Rest assured, we will be in regular contact with all retreat attendees over the coming months to answer questions and discuss everything from travel recommendations to packing suggestions to logistics. Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Photos by Lili Basic
INSPIRATION + TESTIMONIALS
Enjoy scenes from a previous Croatia retreat in the slideshow above and read the testimonials below for some thoughts from our guests.
“I’m still talking about this trip as if it were just yesterday, the memories are that vivid. The ambiance and tenor of the trip were such that, even if the other participants weren’t as colorful and fun as they were (boy, howdy!), the dynamics of the Tournant staff, the setting, and the bounty of the area would still have coalesced into a magical event.”
“The meals, the location and the overall setting combined with fun mini day trips were spectacular.”
“A magical experience - the Tournant crew is amazing as was the food, wine and other attendees. Having the flexibility of participating in the activities or just hanging out at the villa was very much appreciated.
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PRICING + RESERVATIONS
Retreat prices are per person, based on double occupancy or single occupancy in a shared room. The reservation options are outlined below:
~SOLD OUT~ ROOMS WITH QUEEN BED, ENSUITE BATHROOM & BALCONY | $3700/person, double occupancy | These ensuite rooms include a balcony or balconette with stunning views of the hilltop village of Motovun. PERFECT FOR: Couples who want to share this memorable experience together.
~SOLD OUT~ ROOM WITH QUEEN BED & ENSUITE BATHROOM | $3500/person, double occupancy | Spacious ground floor room featuring rustic wooden beams and ensuite bathroom. PERFECT FOR: Couples who want to share this memorable experience together.
ROOM WITH QUEEN BED & ENSUITE BATHROOM | $3400/person, double occupancy | Comfortable room featuring rustic wooden beams and ensuite bathroom. PERFECT FOR: Couples who want to share this memorable experience together.
ROOMS WITH 2 SINGLE BEDS & SHARED BATHROOMS | $3200/person, shared room | Cozy rooms featuring ancient stone walls or rustic wooden beams and ensuite or shared bathrooms. IDEALLY: Shared amongst friends or booked individually by those open to making new ones.
Come feast, learn and explore with us in this enchanting place.
Photos by Eva Kosmas Flores and Lili Basic
