On a tour of Croatia (Vantage Tours, June 2006) we ate lunch in a small village in the hills of Primosten at Jurlinovi Dvori. What a precious time! This is just a few kms from the coast outside of Sibenik. It is a well-hidden group of charming stone-built settlements, grouped into two villages. The villages are surrounded by fields of grapes, olives, figs and almonds.

Jurlinovi Dvori is in Draga, a small village. It is a farmhouse built in the 16th or the 17th century, and now protected by the state as architectural heritage, that holds a collection of art, tools and other artefacts, presided over by the local priest.. Jurlinovi dvori is actually composed of several simple stone cottages set in a circle, that have functions of a typical farm - a kitchen building, a dining room, a sleeping house, a chapel, and a courtyard with stone benches.

Our lunch was a simple Dalmatian meal: grappa to start, then bread, soup and small fish. Our host, Father Don Stipe Perkov, was most gracious. We did not stay the night, but that would have been memorable as well.

You're not in the big city in a sophisticated environment; there's no club scene here. But if you want to experience a true bit of rural Croatian life, you'll find it here. You can contract Don Stipe at [--]. There are several apartments in the village to rent, from 60 to 100 Euros each. Don Stipe does not speak English, only Croatian and, I think, some French and perhaps Italian. But his welcome is warm and the experience will be exceptional.