At the invitation of our dear friends Slovenian Association Ajda from Umag, on October 14 and 15, 2023 we were guests at the Days of Slovenian Culture in Istria.
We arrived in Umag on Saturday, where our hosts warmly welcomed us with a welcome drink and a pleasant chat.
The second day, Sunday, was scheduled for sightseeing in the city of Umag with a guide who tried his best to describe, evoke and show us his city in the most beautiful way. Before that, we went to Grožnjan, known as the "City of Artists", where we were welcomed by the friendly host Rok Zelenko, who led us through the streets of the town and told us about its history. Grožnjan is a small medieval town on a hill next to the river Mirna. It has been declared a city of artists since 1965, and its narrow cobbled streets are full of galleries and studios. In the summer, there is a real artistic beehive, as various art, dance and drama workshops are opened. On this October day, we enjoyed a few hours in that fairytale town, and then we went to Umag again.
With our expert guide, we went on a tour of the center of Umag, but a heavy downpour stopped us and made it impossible to see the city further. Of course, this did not spoil our impressions, because while driving to Grožnjan, our guide gave us a lot of information about the city itself and we saw a good part of the city.
We went to a joint lunch with the other participants organized by our dear hosts in the Lido restaurant in Aca Marina, and afterwards in the Antonio Coslovich Hall, where the program was held.
The program began in the hall of the centre with the opening of the exhibition of Janez Pirnat, which was opened by our guide from Grožnjan, the academic painter Rok Zelenko, and after that we moved into the hall together with our hosts.
We were kindly welcomed and addressed by the mayor of Umag, Mr. Villi Bassanese, as well as our president of the Association, Mr. Mladen Lunić. With a warm welcome and gratitude for responding to their invitation, we sang and danced, because that is what connected us. In addition to the host choir Ajda and the folklore group, our choir Davorin Jenko and our children's folklore group also performed in the program, which did not leave anyone in the audience indifferent.
It was an evening full of emotions, the program was excellent, the hosts were delighted with our performances and promised that we will continue our association with some new gathering.
And we came back happy with good impressions, enriched by another visit and wonderful hosts.
This project was implemented with the support of the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians abroad and the City of Banja Luka.
Ljiljana Vidović
