Did you know that Istrian flora counts? more than 2000 species of plants while there are only 1300 of them in the whole of Great Britain? Istria is a botanical paradise, and this title can be attributed to the interweaving of the different influences of the Alps, the Dinarides and the Mediterranean.
Although the olive is the undisputed queen Vodnjana, one of its residents fell in love with the wonderful plant life of the Vodnjan fields from a young age, from which he set off into the world and soared to scientific heights. With its achievements, it earned itself the title of the most famous Vodnjan resident. Studying the world of plants all his life, Bartolomeo Biasoletto he became a famous European botanist and naturalist, and his work is the basis of another recognizable Vodnjan tradition - the processing of medicinal and aromatic plants and the creation of products dedicated to health and beauty.
We bring you interesting sketches from the exciting and successful life path of Bartolomeo Biasoletto and you we discover the most fragrant locations of Vodnjanština in which its inhabitants will show you in what ways they appreciate the benefits of their green and generous landscape nowadays.
Winter single-leaf
Although there are no endemic plants in the picturesque fields of Vodnjan, Vodnjan is proud of the presence of a very rare plant. It is a winter single-leaf, a type of fern with a Latin name ophioglossum lusitanicum which, if you are persistent enough, can be found near the church of St. Foske. Know that at the end of the 18th century, a small Bartolomeo Biasoletto, the son of a poor farmer from Vodnjan. Fascinated by observing the flora of Vodnjanština, he had no idea that there he took the first steps on the path to fame that would lead him to spend his life far from his native land.
If you take a walk in Vodnjan, you will come across the street named after Bartolomeo Biasoletta. It is part of the district called Vartai, where Bartolomeo Biasoletto was born in 1793, in the family of a farmer. Although it has been a long time since he lived there, try to imagine what it looked like during his childhood, full of colorful vegetable gardens, colorful courtyards and modest cottages, with only the occasional elegant Venetian-style house. There was also an exit to the fields nearby, which was an incentive for little Bartolome's research adventures.
Pharmacy as a classroom
As soon as he grew up, he got a job as a teenager in the Vodnjan pharmacy Cozzetti, later Benardelli. Today, Apoteka operates in that space - a space for contemporary art in Trgovacka Street. Take a look at it, imagine Bartolomeo's wide and benevolent face staring seriously at the pharmacy vases. He wanted very much to find out what each of them contained, but his illiteracy prevented him from doing so. Namely, he couldn't even read a letter! And while others acquired this skill at school, he, extremely stubborn and persistent, mastered it by trying, with the help of a pharmacist, to read and interpret the inscriptions on the vases. The pharmacy became his classroom in the full sense.
During his apprenticeship in his hometown, he leafed through and studied old books, fascinated by their contents. Priests like pastor Dr. Giovanni Tromba, who often visited the pharmacy, recognized him as a bright, persistent and interested young man and were happy to help him with his studies. Armed with a good knowledge of Latin, the humble servant soon becomes ready become a pharmacy student.
He left Vodnjan and found happiness in Italy
Spreading his young wings, Bartolomeo leaves Vodnjan and begins his educational tour of Europe. He was educated in Rijeka and Trieste, and in Vienna he completed his pharmacy studies in 1815. During and after his studies, he establishes connections with leading European scientists, and quenches his thirst for knowledge with a degree at another university. In Padova, in 1823, he obtained a diploma in philosophy, which brought him the opportunity to occupy honorary positions at the university, but he still chooses Trieste to whom he will remain faithful until the end of his life.
After becoming a citizen of Trieste, he takes over the pharmacy All'Orso Nero. If you visit that city and want to see it, know that it still bears his name - FARMACIA BIASOLETTO ALL'ORSO NERO. Here he has the opportunity to focus on his research: he collects plants for his herbarium, which already contains a large number of specimens. In order to enrich it, he visits and explores Istria, Dalmatia and Montenegro. On these trips, he does not bypass his native Vodnjan, passing on knowledge about the medicinal properties of plants to his compatriots.
Discovered a plant named in honor of the king
The once illiterate son of a Vodnjan landowner becomes over the years a respected pharmacist, chemist, naturalist and botanist, and an academician of European fame. He lived a dynamic life, participating in the most important naturalistic, medical and scientific congresses in Italy and Austria, accompanying the most respected European naturalists and botanists on their scientific excursions in Istria and Dalmatia. In 1838, he accompanied the Saxon King Fridrik Augusta on trips around Istria, Dalmatia and Montenegro. During that trip, he discovered a plant named in honor of the king - Saxifraga to Federica Augusta.
The merits of Bartolomeo Biasoletto are truly great. With his activities at the beginning of the 19th century, he significantly contributed to the development of botany. His traces can be most clearly recognized today in Trieste, where he initiated the foundation of a pharmaceutical society, and the Gabinetto di Minerva, a century-old cultural institution in Trieste, remembers him as its most learned director. Years In 1825, he founded a botanical garden in which you will meet his image as he is honored with a marble bust erected among the plants he cultivated with great love. If you wish to observe the results of his research, visit the Trieste City Museum of Natural Sciences, where all botanical Istrian material is preserved, including the one collected by Bartolomeo Biasoletto.
And finally, two points of interest. Although he lived far from Vodnjan, his town remembered him by his name, surname, achievements - and nickname! Aquarians have always been inclined to give their neighbors nicknames to emphasize their imperfections, flaws or habits, and these nicknames would very quickly enter everyday use, being passed down from generation to generation. That's how old Biasoletto was known by his nickname "Bibicòuso" thanks to his dog named "Bibi" who would react to the slightest sound with an exaggerated bark. Bartolomeo's father would then scold him with the sentence: "Bibi... còuso (quietly)!" This is how the nickname "Bibicòuso" was born, which has remained with the descendants of this branch of the family to this day. In addition to that nickname, Bartolomeo Biasoletto had another one, given to him by his friends. It read "Burtolo Giavaghi", and we leave its origin to you as a research task during your visit to Vodnjan.
Bartolomeo Biasoletto never forgot his Vodnjan. In 1856, he had the noble intention of gifting him with a considerable amount of books, including his own works, in order to establish the city library, but unfortunately, this did not happen. However, Vodnjan is after his death in 1859, the family donated a massive silver inkwell intended for the service of the mayor, while a diamond ring with an emerald, a gift from the King of Saxony, was presented to the parish of Vodnjan so that the memory of this worthy Vodnjan resident would shine forever.
Learn about Bartolomeo Biasoletto's legacy in local OPGs
Unlike gifted objects, Bartolomeo Biasoletto's most valuable legacy that he left to his Vodnjan residents is a strong connection with the flora that nature has blessed Vodnjan with. The present one grew on the basis of his research and acquired knowledge the tradition of processing medicinal plants and ecological production of numerous products.
When visiting Vodnjan, do not miss visiting the store The world of plants where you can find numerous 100% natural aromatherapy and cosmetic products, food supplements, and products for care and cleaning of spaces. It is waiting for you in nearby Galižana OPG Thiele led by Vesna Thiele, a licensed phytotherapist, life coach, a lover of healthy life and medicinal plants who, with her husband, grows medicinal plants and makes natural cosmetics and creates natural preparations from Istrian wild herbs - creams, tinctures, teas, and also maintains detoxification programs.
OPG Komić also continues the tradition of growing aromatic plants, producing essential oils and natural cosmetics. If you want a well-rounded vacation at a real Istrian station, visit Guranis where a combination of idyllic nature, the smell of Istrian herbs and enjoyment of authentic and comfortable accommodation awaits you. In addition to their own products (jams, lavender products), they also offer their visitors other local products (honey, propolis, brandies, wines, olive and pumpkin oil, truffles).
Traditional Vodnjan life, which was once the everyday life of the Biasoletto family, was revived through a multitude of activities (tastings, workshops, cultural events and tours) by a group of enthusiasts who founded an association called "ISTRIA - Ecomuseum from Vodnjan / ISTRIANO – Ecomuseo di Dignano”. Visit "House of Tradition" in the immediate vicinity of the main square and view the objects, tools and furniture used in the daily life of the people of Vodnjan and fill your nostrils with the smell of numerous plants. At the didactic farm of the Istrian de Dignan Ecomuseum, learn what the Vodnjan garden looked like and what plants were grown by the old Vodnjan residents, and look for fruits at the picturesque Vodnjan market.
Sources: Domenico Rismondo, Slavko Brana, Monograph of the city of Vodnjan, Istrapedia.hr
Cover photo: Denis Mirković
