A century-old brass band tradition, historic brick kilns and karst formations give Babići several distinctive facets. If you are looking for accommodation for a stay here, you can get to know the town through its culture, landscape and local festivals. Its musical history is as closely connected to the town as the features of the Mamiloni area; Bobićada, a traditional festival, is another part of the picture. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing these themes from references to earlier walks, which are tied to specific years.
Brass Band Music, Choral Singing and Local History
A century-old brass band tradition is part of Babići’s character. The Istrian Brass Band Festival began here on 3 October 1976; for its 50th edition, it returned to the settlement. The festival’s origins and its later return give its musical history a clear connection to the town.
The San Lorenzo-Babici Mixed Choir was founded in 1997; its repertoire includes popular songs from Istria, Croatia and Italy. I Cantadori, a male vocal group, also preserves old songs associated with rural life in Istria. The musical spectrum therefore ranges from brass band music and popular songs in several languages to older rural songs. The area of San Lorenzo-Babići was also inhabited during Roman times. This means the local history goes back further than the century-old brass band tradition.
Brick Kilns and Karst Formations
Babići-Vecchiutti is considered an agricultural settlement with two historic brick kilns. The Mamiloni area contains karst sinkholes, and Golubinka is the largest identified cave. This brings together two distinct aspects of the area: its agricultural character and historic kilns on the one hand, and its karst landscape on the other. Together, they give Babići both a cultural-historical and a landscape perspective.
Bobićada and Istrian Cuisine
Bobićada is a traditional festival in Babići, organized by the Lovrečica-Babići Local Committee. The 14th edition took place in 2019. The festival combines a bean celebration with live music by the ITD band; maneštra is also prepared with Istrian bobići. Local festival traditions and regional food culture are equally part of the occasion. If you would like to include Bobićada in a specific stay, check the event dates for your travel year.
Cycling Routes and Earlier Walks
For cyclists, there are two distinct routes in the area: a cycling tour starting in Novigrad passes through Gornji Babići and Škrinjari; another route runs through Babići and continues to Lovrečica. Check road conditions again before cycling.
Walks are also associated with specific place names, but for the years 2020 and 2021: at that time, walks followed paths around Babići towards Canal, Semari and Cuscieti. If you are planning a walk based on this information, check current trail conditions locally.
Discover more destinations: Juricani, Murine, Zambratija, Savudrija, Basanija, Čepljani, Crveni Vrh, Kmeti.
For the broader travel overview: Općina Umag.
