Back to the Roots - Ancient Island Interactive Experience

We thoroughly enjoyed visiting Terra Arhaica with our 2 children (12 and 10) and a small group of people. We were welcomed by the family who runs this amazing initiative, and enjoyed being taken back into this family's heritage, showing us what life was like up to 150 years ago. The visit ended with a traditional food fest, introducing us to traditional Croatian flavours. Thank you to the lovely people from Terra Arhaica for the wonderful experience.

We loved our tour here learning about life in Croatia from over 200 years ago! We loved meeting Magdalena, Lana and Jacob in their traditional clothing and getting a tour of this beautiful historic home. The home has so much rich history and they are doing a fantastic job of bringing its history to life! We learned traditional woodfire cooking techniques, how to grind corn into flour, and tasted grappa and 3 different types of traditional cookies they make in Croatia. In addition, we got to make our own cookie designs including decorating them using traditional techniques. What a truly unique experience and one we loved very much! This was a top along the way of our tour of Hvar that also included honey and wine tasting along with lunch.

We were welcomed to the restaurant/home with sweet mint water and were introduced to the owners and their staff. We were taken into the old kitchen and shown what a typical morning routine was like over 100 years ago. We then moved into a large dining area and were given a variety of starters, all of which were excellent. Next was the main course, which used to be made with small birds, however now it is made with chicken. This was followed with traditional desserts and after dinner drinks. gnocchi. It was great learning about traditional Croatian foods and learning what life used to be like in Croatia. Jacob and Lana are very passionate about sharing their knowledge and it comes across in the unique experience they provide. If you want to experience living history in Croatia and want to have fun doing it, this is the place to go.

Visiting Terra Arhaica was the highlight of our trip. From the moment we arrived, we felt like we were being welcomed into someone’s home as family. The cooking class in their 150 year old family kitchen was both authentic and heartwarming. Jaksa, Lana, and Magdalena were incredibly generous with their time, offering not only an educational and engaging experience at their property, but also thoughtful recommendations that helped shape the rest of our time on the island. Their hospitality went far beyond what we expected — they genuinely cared about making our visit special. We can’t recommend it enough. We did a day trip to Hvar from Split but next time we would definitely stay longer at their bed & breakfast.

This was such an interesting experience, where we learnt about the way of life many years ago, from a family whose parents and grandparents and more, had lived in this very place. It’s unique. There were many artefacts which were brought to life by the owners, in their traditional costumes. We finished with a delicious meal cooked with many different ingredients, all authentic. Only 30 minutes by car from the port. Excellent.

I really like the owners’ passion and their enthusiasm in showing you the local’s way of living in the past. They will greet you in traditional costume and welcome you in their 150year old house. Once you enter the house, it feels like you have travelled to the past and you are standing at the place where the owner’s grandparents used to live. It is not like usual museum but more like a storytelling and you could see, taste, smell and participate. You could use the old mill people used to make corn flour, fix a fish net, use the tool which they use the make wine and so on! I will not spoil everything but it is definitely an experience that you could not miss. What is better knowing the place than meeting the locals!