The designed thematic archeological and botanical trails, which we offer in the web and mobile app »Kaštelir« (https://map.kastelir.eu/), can be enriched with experiential ethnological, botanical and other educational workshops. Just as the oldest researchers of hill forts, among which Carlo Marchesseti (1850-1926) from Trieste is worth mentioning, knew that ancient Istria and the Karst can only be truly understood if they indulge in the magic of travel, so we can now indulge in new experiences and tourism program. In a modern and interactive way, they can take us to a time when the first knowledge of collecting and preparing edible wild plants and other culinary ingredients, dry stone walling techniques, ways of shaping clay and making pottery, ways of its artistic decoration and painting, old music and others mystical rituals about the nature and souls in the afterlife. We paid special attention to hill forts with areas with rich, but less researched sites.

Materials / studies on the creation of tourist experiences, programs and products:

• Bratina, Patricija; Brezigar, Barbara (2019) Koncept ureditve notranje in zunanje info točke v Štanjelu - Strokovna izhodišča in gradiva za prezentacijo in interpretacijo prazgodovinske in povezane dediščine Štanjela in Krasa na osnovi arheoloških in drugih podatkov/virov. Projektno gradivo
• Kolenc, Nataša (2020) Koncept prezentacije in interpretacije prazgodovinske in povezane dediščine Štanjela in Krasa za obiskovalce s predlogom načina umestitve v razpoložljive zunanje in notranje prostore. Projektno gradivo
• Prašnikar, Astrid (2018). Oblikovanje in izdelava idejne zasnove turističnega paketa / doživetja ter soavtorica scenarija za promocijski film z besedilom. Projektno gradivo.
• Fakin Bajec, Jasna (2021) Oblikovanje in izdelava turističnih produktov in turističnih paketov ter strategije trženja le-teh: Dežela prazgodovinskih gradišč – kaštelirjev, projektno gradivo.
• Prunk, Špela (2020) Delovno gradivo za izdelavo idejne zasnove prazgodovinske posode/sklede kot spominka – projekt Kaštelir: izbor keramičnih najdb. Projektno gradivo.
• Fakin Bajec, Jasna 2020. Delovno gradivo za pripravo prazgodovinske jedi. Projektno gradivo.

You can get to know the products better and experience them - experiences:

• by watching short presentation films - links,
• by exploring Štanjel (Komen) with the help of AR app and digital guide Aviko: interpreted tour THROUGH ŠTANJEL, THROUGH TIME - link,
• by exploring the fort Rašpor and the info-interpretation center in Račja Vas (Lanišče)
• by exploring the fort Ozida and the info-interpretation center in Mošćenička Draga
• by exploring the fort Kašler Korte and the info-interpretation center in Korte (Izola)
• by visiting the exhibition HIDDEN ŠTANJEL - link,
• by tasting the prehistoric dish ...
• by purchasing a souvenir - Dom na Krasu ..
• by travelling through the Land of Hill Forts

The reconstructed prehistoric dish, prepared according to the recipe of the Primorska "mineštra", is enriched with old cereals - spelt, home-grown vegetables (carrots, leaves and celery tubers), herbs (savory, rosemary, parsley) and lamb, sheep and pig meat. Selected caterers from the Karst and Istria offer it in a reconstructed prehistoric ceramic bowl with a wart-shaped applique, which combines a pinch of Karst and Istrian soil, water, the power of fire and the skill of local hands.

We formed the interpretation of the former nutrition on the basis of remains on ceramic bowls, plant pollen, seed remains, burnt animal bones, and reconstructions of pots, stoves and other kitchen tools. We know that the peoples of that time were already roasting the meat of domesticated animals (goats, sheep, pigs) and fish, growing old cereals (wheat, barley, millet, spelt) in the fields, and gathering forest fruits in the nearby forests (hazelnuts, raspberries, blackberries, wild apples), animal eggs and honey, they ate grapes and wild plants as well. They brewed beer from barley, made cheeses, sweet honey liquor and other delicacies, and baked bread in simple bread ovens, at least since the Neolithic. This way of preparing food was preserved even during the Bronze and Iron Ages. It was only with the arrival of the Romans that the way of farming, the preparation, and distribution of food changed radically.

RECIPE FOR PREHISTORIC DISH "MINEŠTRA":

200 g of carrots
100 g of celery stalks
600 g of celery tubers
250 g of spelt
olive oil
3 liters of cold water
500 g of goat meat
800 g of lamb meat
100 g bacon
3 sprigs of rosemary
3 sprigs of savory
3 cloves garlic (25 g)
25 g of parsley
800 g of chickpeas

PREPARATION:

Cut the carrot, tuber and stalka of celery into smaller pieces and place together with the spelt in a larger pot. Quickly fry everything in olive oil. Then pour the ingredients with 2 liters of cold water. Add water during cooking if necessary (approx. 1 liter). If we have fresh herbs (rosemary, savory), we use them together with vegetables. Dried herbs are added at the end of cooking. When the spelt is half cooked (approx. half an hour, depending on the type of spelt), add sliced goat meat, lamb meat and 80 g of bacon. Cook everything together until the meat separates from the bones (approx. 1 hour). Ten minutes before the end of cooking, add the cooked chickpeas. Then add the mince (ie. a mixture made of 20 g of bacon, chopped garlic and parsley, which were previously mixed) to the »mineštra«.

The recipe was prepared by members of the Association for the Development of Agriculture and Tourism - Planta in cooperation with dr. Jasna Fakin Bajec. The ingredients can be adapted to your tastes, care must be taken to use foods of local origin, which were already known in the time of the hill forts.

INGREDIENTS KNOWN IN THE AREA DURING LIFE IN HILL FORTS

MEAT: Sheep, goat, pig, cattle (not dominated by wild animals, this was during the Stone and Copper Ages).
FISH: Fish, shellfish.
CEREALS: Different types of wheat, barley, millet, spelt.
LEGUMES: Lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas.
VEGETABLES: Leek, carrots, kohlrabi tuber, cabbage.
FOREST FRUITS, BERRIES: Blackthorn, dog-rose, blackberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, blueberries, cornelian cherries, sorb fruits, chequers, cherries, hazelnuts, wild apples and pears, walnuts, figs, grapes.
EDIBLE WILD PLANTS, HERBS: Karst savory, thyme, oregano, sage, elderberry (flowers and strawberries), jujube, sage, nettle.
DAIRY PRODUCTS: In the time of hill forts, goat's and cow's milk was also used for secondary products, they made cheese and cottage cheese.
DRINK: wine (domestic and imported Greek, Italian - in any case only red wine), beer brewed from barley, honey liquor, fruit wine (eg. cider). They did not know spirits.

Mainly to feel and understand the generosity of nature, the importance of land and water, the importance of joint creation and to remind the valuable pottery knowledge of our ancestors, who lived in our territory during the Bronze and Iron Ages. To remember them and pay respect to them. To revive, protect and preserve this rich and neglected heritage for future generations. So that we would appreciate it and be proud of it. Because it is a part of every human being, a part of mankind.

The stove was temporarily placed in the garden of the Kobdilj Tower - the Tower at the Gate of Štanjel, with the aim of staging a reconstruction of a prehistoric stove. As such a stove is exposed to adverse weather conditions, its durability is endangered especially in winter. Therefore, as part of the project, it was placed inside the tower - as part of the exhibition HIDDEN ŠTANJEL, a model of a prehistoric stove, which will have an educational purpose.

A group of experts, in which archaeologists participated during the Kaštelir project: Maša Sakara and Špela Prunk, Regional Museum of Koper; Manca Vinazza, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts; Verena Vidrih Perko; Teja Gerbec, Museum of Goriška; Patricija Bratina, ZVKDS; Klara Buršič-Matijašić, UNIPU - HR and ceramist, Alenka Gololičič from Most na Soči, within the activitiy of the Kaštelir project: "FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDING TO PREHISTORIC DISH ON THE TOURIST PROVIDERS' TABLE", prepared a shortlist of prehistoric bowls. The Planta Association, which represents the end user - catering establishments, also took part in the selection of the bowl. Together with dr. Jasna Fakin Bajec, they also participated in the activities of development and selection of the prehistoric dish.

The selected bowl illustrates the everyday life of the inhabitants of hill forts. It is not a luxury imported product that illustrated the power of the ruling elites, but the product of an ordinary man, invisible in historiography. Although the ruling elite of our forts lived lavishly and knew several types of imported luxury items (e.g., from Daunian craters to Attic pottery), the recreated bowl mostly depicts the lives of ordinary people, whose remains are most numerous in today's archaeological contexts. This concept also includes packaging, which is also simple and combines natural, locally available materials. The bowl and packaging were made by the potter Alenka Gololičič from Most na Soči. A reconstructed prehistoric dish is served in the bowl, at the inns with which we collaborated during the project.

Many insights into life in Karst and Istrian forts are still shrouded in mystery. Many research questions, however, receive surprising archaeological and botanical answers, which we place as particles in new tourist stories. With modern interpretations and the use of your own senses of touch, smell, taste, sight and sound, you will feel how to live with nature again, respect natural materials, ancient knowledge and important landscape features whose roots go back to prehistoric times. Indulge in interesting and mysterious stories, where experienced guides will guide you to your own experiences and unforgettable knowledge, creations and personal tourist souvenirs!

We have included the most important monuments that speak of life during the Bronze and Iron Ages in one-day or multi-day tourist programs that take you through revived hill forts in the Karst, Istria, Brkini, Čičarija and Kvarner. By visiting, you will learn how ancient peoples recognised the healing power of edible wild plants, the techniques of drywalling of stone walls, and the creative power of sun, fire, water, and clay. This is reflected in ceramic remains and other archaeological remains, carefully stored in museum showcases.

New knowledge and research on the culture of life in the Bronze and Iron Ages can be offered by thematic festivals, where the content is intertwined with archaeological findings, but presented in a creative and modern way. They take us into the world of spiritual culture, where music, fine arts, dance, rituals, cuisine and other spiritual elements connect nature with culture, earthly life with afterlife, reason with magic, the past with the present. The celebrations were formed in the distant past, they were associated with the worship of nature, which changed according to the time of year. Because people were very connected to nature and feared that nature would not wake up, they worshiped natural forces with special rituals, which were especially mysterious during the summer and winter solstice and the spring and autumn equinoxes.

FESTIVAL ARCHIVE

• ŠTANJEL - GLEDANICA,
• KORTE - IZOLA
• CROATIAN PART OF ISTRIA