On September 22, 2026, the Vrsar Tourist Board held a panel discussion at the Hotel Pineta in Vrsar, dedicated to the topic "Gastronomic Heritage as a Basis for Attraction." The discussion was organized as an introduction to this year's edition of the Amaretto Day event.
Panel participants discussed the role of gastronomic heritage in destination development, ways of interpreting local stories, and opportunities for creating contemporary tourist experiences rooted in authentic gastronomic values.
The panel featured:
Snježana Boranić Živoder, Institute for Tourism
Edmondo Šuran, Istrian Rural Development Agency (AZRRI)
Klara Trošt Lesić, Vrsar Tourist Board
The discussion was moderated by Irina Ban.
As a summary of the discussion, moderator Irina Ban emphasized: "Traditional food, food-related customs, and recipes belong to the community. It is the community that passes them down and preserves them, and tourism can bring these values closer to the contemporary guest, for whom sea and sun are no longer enough — who instead wants to get to know the territory and its people. By empowering producers and fostering cooperation with associations, restaurateurs, schools, and interested residents, the system can support the preservation of gastronomic heritage, which is one of the clearest mirrors of a destination's identity."
As a concrete example of this approach, the project of the Vrsar Amaretti was presented — a local hazelnut confection that has, in recent years, been developed through research into local heritage, the story of the hazelnut, the involvement of the local community, workshops, interpretive content, and cooperation with various stakeholders.
Klara Trošt Lesić, director of the Vrsar Tourist Board, stated: "With the Vrsar Amaretti, we started by researching the local heritage and tradition of preparing amaretti. It is a recipe of Italian origin, which in Vrsar was adapted to the hazelnut — an ingredient that was once an important part of the local agricultural tradition. Our goal is for the Vrsar Amaretti not to be tied to a single event, but to develop through workshops, community involvement, hospitality initiatives, and other activities throughout the year. It is important to us that behind the communication there remains real, long-term value for the destination."
Following the panel, chef Zdravko Tomšić gave a gourmet presentation dedicated to the hazelnut, showcasing its interpretation through contemporary gastronomy and its potential applications in the local culinary offer.
This gathering also served as the official announcement of this year's Amaretto Day, which will take place on Sunday, September 27, at Trg Degrassi (Degrassi Square) in Vrsar, where visitors will have the opportunity to discover the rich gastronomic heritage of the Vrsar region and sample numerous products and dishes prepared with amaretto as the main ingredient.
