"Rovinj-Rovigno has maintained its soul and identity - this is the impression of many participants and visitors of our coming-of-age Regatta, of which we are extremely proud. This is the most important result of everything that we at the Ecomuseum-Ecomuseo "Batana" have achieved for our city and its heritage. To celebrate these great anniversaries, we have organized a three-day program (June 7 to 9) for the first time, filled with content that brought us and our guests an unforgettable experience, the essence of this event," said Marino Budicin, just after the end of the Rovinj regatta of traditional boats with lug and lateen sails. Marino Budicin is the originator and founder of the longest-lasting and most successful heritage story in Croatia, the Rovinj Ecomuseum "Batana."

The director of the "House of Batana" institution, Nives Giuricin, spoke about the dedication of the members in implementing the program for the festival of boats, the sea, and sailors."This year's program was the longest and most demanding so far for the organizing committee in which I was joined by Marino Budicin, Ennio Cherin, Alvise Benussi, and Fabio Cherin, and the regatta committee which included: Alvise Benussi , Grazia Benussi and Ennio Cherin.

We are very pleased with the way we achieved this important milestone. The arrival of our many friends who share our passion for maritime heritage and our commitment to passing on knowledge, skills, and dedication to new generations has been truly delightful. We are particularly pleased that our neighbors from Mošćenička Draga, led by Prof. Robert Mohović, were named the overall winners. Prof. Mohović is also the president of the Association for the Preservation and Revitalization of Maritime, Fishing, and Shipbuilding Heritage of Kvarner and Istria, which has been successfully operating for ten years. In recognition of their dedication, we appropriately rewarded them with the impressive graphic "Ruveîgno; Terra murata di inizio secolo XVII - Rovinj: city walls from the beginning of the 17th century" by Diego Giuricino, a longstanding member of our Association. In his acceptance speech, Professor Mohović highlighted our heritage story, which has spanned over two decades, as a guiding light for those dedicated to preserving our country's rich maritime heritage. We see this as a great responsibility and also as motivation for further work. Our event was attended by representatives at various levels, from local and county to national and international, including the mayor of our city, Marko Paliaga; his deputy, David Modrušan; the president of the city council, Emil Nimčević; the deputy prefect of the Istrian County, Jessica Acquavita; and the general secretary of the Croatian Commission for UNESCO of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, Rut Carek.

This year, we introduced two new additions to the program that attracted a large number of visitors to Big Pier. This proves that we significantly contribute to the enhancement of Rovinj's tourist offerings with appealing heritage products. During the first edition of the event "Viràda in pignàta!", our regattas replaced their wooden boats with wooden cookers and introduced us to the regions they come from through authentic dishes. These dishes quickly disappeared from their stands because who could resist bigoli with Venetian-style slaw, salted anchovies, piadina romagnola, shrimp on a buzara from Mošćenička Draga, Lovran risotto, mussels from a pot from Fažana, and brodet with cod prepared by the neighbors from Pula? Our beautiful city became even more enchanting as the sails of numerous boats unfurled, accompanied by the notes of our city's brass band. Two special guests, the traditional sailing ship and floating museum "Nerezinac" from Mali Lošinj, and "Tartana" from Pula, certainly added to the festive atmosphere. The highlight of the entire program was the night procession of all the boats that circled "Nerezinac" on Saturday evening. Anchored near the Big Pier, it became a magical stage for the performance of our KUD-SAC "Marco Garbin" of the Community of Italians "Pino Budicin" and a sight that left many visitors breathless. Some, like me, were moved to tears as our Rovinj folk songs echoed through the waters of Rovinj, synchronized with the movement of traditional boats. It was a moment to remember, and also to thank everyone who participated in any way in our most important event," said Nives Giuricin.

 

When the Rovinj regatta reached adulthood, it was ready for a new stage in its existence. Similarly, the Ecomuseum-Ecomuseo "Batana," jointly managed by the Association-Associazione and the Institution-Institution "House of Batana-Casa della Batana," was also ready for a new phase. Ennio Cherin, who took over as president of the Association last year, emphasized, "The art of sailing with lateen and lug sails along the Croatian coast has been listed in the Register of Cultural Properties of the Republic of Croatia for two years now. This serves as a great incentive for all of us to continue taking care of our heritage. Our greatest asset lies in the continuous, daily efforts with which we are expanding the content of our ecomuseum, step by step. The recent Regatta demonstrated that their efforts were indeed on the right track. Through the introduction of gastronomic innovations and joint cooking, the connection with the regattas was strengthened, and the exchange of knowledge and skills related to the sea reached a higher level. I would like to express my thanks, on behalf of the Association, to all the participants, visitors, and partners who contributed to the success of our program namely the Jedriličarski klub - Club di vela “Maestral” Rovinj-Rovigno, Sportski ribolovni klub - Club di pesca sportiva “Meduza” Rovinj-Rovigno, Turistička zajednica Grada Rovinja - Ente per il turismo della Città di Rovigno, Grad Rovinj-Rovigno - Città di Rovinj-Rovigno, Lučka kapetanija Pula - Capitaneria di Porto di Pola, Županijska lučka uprava Rovinj - Autorità portuale regionale di Rovigno, Komunalni servis - Servizio comunale s.r.l. Rovinj-Rovigno, Javna vatrogasna postrojba - Unità vigili del fuoco pubblica Rovinj-Rovigno, Strukovna Škola - Scuola di Formazione Professionale “Eugen Kumičić” e gli sponsors ACI s.p.a. Rijeka (Fiume), Valalta s.r.l. Rovinj-Rovigno, Proficio s.p.a. Zagreb (Zagabria), Lovačko društvo Rovinj - Società venatoria Rovigno, A&B s.r.l. Rovinj-Rovigno, Ristorante “Ancora”, Slastičarna-Pasticceria Breški Rovinj-Rovigno.

 

The rich program also included a working meeting of the partners of the Adriatic PortLand Interreg Italy-Croatia project. The leading partner, the "House of Batana-Casa della Batana" institution, hosted colleagues from Kvarner, specifically from the municipality of Mošćenička Draga and from the Italian municipalities of Cesenatico and Battaglia Terme. They organized a theoretical-practical Exchange Lab workshop where they discussed the challenges of cultural tourism and connecting river and sea traditional navigation and shipbuilding. The partners also learned a new way of rowing with a batana and participated in a Regatta with their boats. For the Italian partners, it was the first time they had the opportunity to experience firsthand how the successful heritage practice of the Ecomuseum "Batana" works.