SUNNY FIELDS

The Mediterranean sun shines upon the tamed valleys set among the rocky hills almost 3000 hours per year and when the spring rains don't soak the ground, new life begins.

The widest plain with the Mediterranean climate, with over 2000 sunny hours annually, surrounded by warm sea and next to the two „smallest seas in the world“ (the Novigrad and Karin Sea), awakens amidst the blooming almond trees, spreads the rich fragrance of the marasca sour cherry tree, from which Maraschino is made, a unique liqueur in the world, and is a sight for sore eyes with its ripe peaches, olive groves, vineyards and pastures covered with aromatic Mediterranean herbs grazed by sheep.

Nature Park Vrana Lake, the largest lake in Croatia, as well as some small rivers and torrential flows found their place here. This is why these sunny fields have been the source of people's food for ages. Being surrounded by the sea, coastal towns and summer places, and having its center in Benkovac, these fields are inviting you to discover their cultural and historical monuments, preserved nature, people, the way of life that has been built for centuries, unique land products and the traditional hospitality which shows that guests and travellers are more than welcome.

History

The wider area of Bukovica and Ravni Kotari is full of life testimonies from the Stone Age passing through the exceptionally interesting medieval time to the present day. The Croatian native nobility had settled exactly in this area, moreover, the area itself is called „Hrvati“ (Croats) in medieval documents.

The stone fragment with the inscribed name of the Croatian Prince Branimir from 879 was found here and it is one of the oldest written monuments in the Croatian culture. The inscription on the stone gable is the oldest document where the word Croat was mentioned.

Numerous archaeological sites and findings, as well as the monumental heritage, serve as a testimony of the Croatian people's rich history within the area where more than one thousand years ago used to be the first Croatian state. Nature has created here vast and rich land, which, in combination with wonderful people, makes the ideal living conditions.

Tradition

Since prehistory, this area has been a testimony of life at the crossroad of land, sea, water and humans. Empires and civilizations had collided here. The unsigned people's creations and stone-building tradition are visible outside the monumental constructions. In Bukovica, People still quarry stone for house construction. The Benkovac Fair is held every tenth day of the month. It is a livestock and crafts fair that has been preserved from the time when the fairs had been held by the sanctuaries and at the road confluences. In the spring people look for the asparagus in the fields and after rain for the snails. The traveller is never asked here in the Dalmatian hinterland whether he would like to eat or drink, but only offered, and if they don't accept it, local people might get offended.

One knows when and what to eat according to the seasonal fruits of nature.

Intangible Cultural Heritage

18 Croatian inscriptions on the list of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage testify of the country that preserves its traditions and brings them to their modernity. The inscriptions from this area are klapa multipart singing, ojkanje two-part singing, nijemo kolo (silent circle dance of the Dalmatian hinterland), Mediterranean diet along the Croatian Adriatic coast and in a part of the hinterland, and the art of dry-stone walling.

Mediterranean diet, which is the healthiest diet in the world, is not merely a diet, but a ceremony as well. Dry-stone walling has determined the estate borders and very often preserved the fertile fields for vineyards. Ojkanje is an archaic and well-preserved two-part singing, but also a way of talking, and 'nijemo kolo' tells us a story of the way people used to have fun through centuries and how they courted and married each other in an almost mystically rhythmic dance with no sound but feet stamping. Almost every village in this valley has its own KUD*(Cultural-Artistic Group)that takes care of their tradition and folk costumes. Nevertheless, of all traditions, you will mostly hear klapa multipart singing, which came from the sea and spread throughout Kotari.