In the small, sleepy village of Bogomolje on the eastern part of Hvar island, a home-based hospitality business has emerged that is worth your attention. Across the entire island of Hvar, you can find many olive oil producers. Some of them are truly good and keep their ancestors' traditions alive. Miro and Anita Rudan are among them.
For many years, Miro has lovingly cared for his olive trees. And why not, they are his treasure, of which he is rightfully proud. For several years now, he has been winning various competitions with his olive oil. His gold medals proudly adorn the shelves with other homemade products in the cellar, where he prepares olive oil tastings for his guests. Everything here is beautifully arranged, and it's clear that both hosts do everything with passion. And a bottle of quality fragrant olive oil makes a nice souvenir from a holiday; we bring it not only for ourselves but also for our relatives and friends.
Besides olive oil, homemade jams prepared by his wife Anita are available here. I had the opportunity to taste all 4 types, and I can honestly say you won't go wrong with any of them; all are excellent. I liked the wild rosehip jam the most. The orange peel jam had a very interesting flavor. Fig jam is a classic delicacy. And then there's also a mixed jam of all these ingredients. Compared to our jams, they are not as sweet; they seemed more natural in taste. Jams also make a very nice souvenir from a holiday. I bought several of them and gave almost all of them away at home; only one was left. Well, I'll have to go back for more supplies.
And the second cellar is for wine tasting, which Miro and Anita produce. Besides wine, you can also taste travarica, mrtina, and smokavača there.
And when the tasting of these delicacies wears you out, you can smell the intoxicating lavender. Besides classic lavender oil, you can also buy lavender hydrolate here – i.e., floral water, which is said to carry the soul of the plant and is used in aromatherapy. It is essentially the water produced during lavender oil distillation. In addition, you can also purchase lavender balm. This is used, for example, for very dry skin. And the last of these products is St. John's Wort oil. This is used for skin healing – for minor injuries, scars, soothing the skin, etc., as it has anti-inflammatory effects.
And when even wine tasting and smelling lavender products wear you out, it's time for an authentic Dalmatian dinner. For many years, Miro has been preparing authentic Dalmatian feasts for his guests. You just need to arrange what you'd like in advance. Next to the cellars, he has his konoba with a large grill, where he will prepare such delicious fish that you'll still be licking your lips in the morning. I'm not kidding; in the 13 years we've been coming to Croatia, we haven't eaten better fish anywhere. And if you don't eat fish, no problem, he'll prepare meat ispod peke, octopus ispod peke, or whatever you wish.
They are good, and word has spread quickly, so I can only recommend calling them in advance to arrange everything. In Czech or English, you don't have to worry about not being understood 🙂 And if you say that Markéta and Jiří sent you, you might even learn some of the chef's secrets, or Anita might tell you how she prepares her divine jams. Everything there has such a pleasant, homely atmosphere that is rarely seen elsewhere. We hope to return there soon.
And here are the GPS coordinates for easier finding: 43.129928,16.983889
