The Vodnjan saints
Undecomposed bodies brought from Venice in 1818.
Miroslav.vajdic — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Miroslav.vajdic — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mash-graz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · dg8vt — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small town north of Pula known for two entirely unrelated things: **olive oil** and **the bodies of saints**. In the **Church of St Blaise** — whose tower, at about 62 metres, is the tallest in Istria — is kept a collection known as the «**Vodnjan mummies**»: six bodies of saints that have not decomposed, the oldest from the thirteenth century, and **not embalmed** by any known method. They were brought from Venice in 1818, when Napoleon confiscated church property there. The Catholic Church calls the phenomenon «incorruptibility», and there is no agreed scientific explanation — exceptionally dry air inside the church being one proposed factor. The same church holds a large **relic collection** of hundreds of pieces. The second thing is less dramatic and more useful: around Vodnjan stand **olive trees over a thousand years old**, still bearing fruit, and the region''s oils are regularly ranked among the world''s best. The town has a **House of Olive Oil** explaining the process, with tastings. Note: Vodnjan is bilingual, and its Italian name is **Dignano**.
Undecomposed bodies brought from Venice in 1818.
Hundreds of pieces in the same church.
The process explained, and tastings of world-ranked oils.
Vodnjan — about 11 km north of Pula
Because three factors rarely found together come together here. First, **old local varieties** — Buža, Karbonera, Bjelica and Istarska Bjelica — not grown commercially outside the region. Second, the **red limestone soil** (terra rossa) and the mild Adriatic climate. Third, the farms here are **small and family-run**, so the fruit is hand-picked and cold-pressed within hours rather than days, which determines acidity and flavour more than anything else. The result is that the Italian **Flos Olei** guide has repeatedly ranked Istria **the world''s leading region** for extra virgin olive oil. ⚠ Practically: buy from the mill rather than a souvenir shop, and ask to taste — the difference between grades is obvious even to a non-expert.
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