World Tourism Day 2022 celebrated in Rovinj

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03.10.2022

On the occasion of the World Tourism Day, on Saturday, October 1, there was a free guided tour of the geological natural monument Quarry Fantazija – Cava di Monfiorenzo.

The Fantazija quarry is a natural phenomenon. It is the only geological monument of nature in the Istrian County and represents a unique site on a global scale, because in one place you can observe the deposition of different types of carbonate rocks with preserved details of texture, structure, diagenetic and genetic characteristics. The rocks of the quarry were cut straight with a polished effect, which brings out the rare rhythmic alternation of the early and late diagenetic dolomites. The rhythmic alteration of dolomites makes the rocks aesthetically attractive, although the scientific and educational values are much greater. Visible layers of genetically different dolomites with preserved structural and textural features serve for the scientific explanation of the process of the formation of such and similar rocks in the world and the interpretation of the conditions and processes that took place in the paleoenvironment throughout the geological past.

As part of the quarry, you can also explore the visitor centre with accompanying contents such as the geological column and exhibitions Geology of Istria and Fantazija Quarry, Istrian stone and Quarries and stonemasons.

From 10:00 to 18:00 the tour was attended by about 80 people. Every hour, two expert guides delivered tours in Croatian, Italian and English to two groups of five to eight people. Once the tour was complete, each visitor was gifted a free souvenir from the quarry: a cup or a towel, a memory game for the youngest, a USB stick for the young, etc.

The visitors were delighted by the guided tour of the quarry: "This is really interesting.", "Without a tour guide, we would only see stones, but now that the expert explained it to us, we see a lot more.", "I live in Rovinj and I didn't know there was such a thing in the area of my city.", "This is really fantastic."

Andrea Deklić, senior expert associate of the Natura Histrica public institution and one of the guides, said: "The people who came did not know what to expect, and they were delighted when they left. Some visitors said they would come again to show the site to their family, guests and friends. As employees of the expert service of Natura Histrica and guides in the area of the Fantazija Quarry, we were very pleased that none of the visitors who took the guided tour were disappointed. Among the visitors were tourism workers and high school teachers of geography, biology, chemistry and Croatian language, and even some professors from the Faculty of Science in Zagreb. A nice and constructive discussion took place on the topic of the Fantazija quarry."

All those interested who did not have the opportunity to visit the quarry during the specified period can do so for free every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.