Look Inside

"The past and the present are intertwined in this inspired book about the people and cultural-historical heritage of one of the most beautiful corners of the world."

—Goran Moravček

author, publisher, edutainer

fluminensia.org, Rijeka, Croatia

Adriatic Reverie is a book that celebrates the humility, timeless natural beauty, and enduring spirit of what may be the last authentic culture in all of the Mediterranean. This book takes us on a journey of traditions, crafts, and social bonds as they existed in Croatia's Kvarner before and during the great transformation of the 20th century. But Velčić doesn’t only recount the past—he takes us into a grassy field, under a sprawling oak tree, to the summit of an island. He even takes us fishing, seeking spiritual fulfillment as much as the thrill of a good catch. As Velčić helps us observe the most ordinary in a butterfly, a wild asparagus plant, and an eel, he transports us into a world that has become invisible to most of us. Soon we realize that we are meditating in a reality in which the past and present are one, and in which we are a little closer to our true nature.

On this site you will find:

• How to buy
• Reviews
• Table of Contents
• Map of the Kvarner area
• Preface
• Preface to the first edition
• How to pronounce Croatian words and about Kvarner dialects
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Dictionary (Besedar)
• Dictionary of Marine Life and Nautical Terms
• About the author
• Brseč Fishing Association, fish can factory, fishermen, trap fishermen
• Author's contacts in tourism
• Sponsors of the first edition
• Bibliography
• Author's Art Terrarium dioramas
• Author's Konoba (Cellar) dioramas

“The author’s deeply passionate relationship with his ‘Magical Triangle of Kvarner’ comes across in each word and every image in this book, and it is infectious, making it a pleasure to read, whether in Croatian or the excellent English translation (no small task). How much poorer would the new generations be without it!”

—Marina Škrobica, PhD

architectural designer, conservationist

Ika, Croatia 

The book starts at the author's birthplace—Golovik—and nearby Brseč, a medieval fortified stone town perched on a 500 ft (170 m) cliff, which overlooks the Kvarner Bay and island Cres. A detailed account of the land, ethnography, trades, traditions, and other aspects of life in this area is augmented by interviews with locals and family members, and accompanied by many photographs.

Author's art lets us experience this fascinating land through his own artistic lens, while poems by several authors deepen our connection to this area.

Next, the author takes us on the sea, covering fishing, sailing, and emigration. We learn how fishing used to be done and how difficult and perilous that life can be, but we also experience a zen-like tranquility of a morning fishing trip that in a moment turns into a thrilling adventure of catching a ferocious dentex. 

There are many stories of sailing, wrecks, emigration, of striving for a better life, characteristic of so many Criatian Adriatic communities.

The author remembers the Brseč school, his religious training, and his education in Mošćenička Draga and Opatija. He covers customs and social life, weddings, festivals, and celebrations through numerous interviews and recollections. 

Also covered are the war years, rise of tourism, local sports, and entertainment. The author explores the village of Trebišća, a mystical village of the early Slavs, spends time at a camp in Beli, roams the Tramuntana area of northern Cres, and tells us about his experiences as a street painter at Opatija's Montmartre.

As if revealing the impetus behind writing this book, the author quotes Franjo Švob Franina's poem It's Worth Sayin':

All is said
All is known.

What will be
Has been.

What has been
Will be again.

All is said
All is known.

It’s worth
Sayin’.

Let be known
What’s forgettable too.

The forgettable
Next to forgettable
 

The memorable
Will create.

It’s worth
Sayin’.

The book is thoroughly researched and written in an engaging style. Capturing the language of Kvarner, this book provides all key terms, names, and expressions in local dialects:

The book includes comprehensive general and marine dictionaries of those dialects:

All species of plants, animals, insects, and fish are provided in English, Latin, and local dialects:

All poems appear in English and in dialect, as written. Here's one by Josip Stanić from Veprinac, from the collection Klobuk od ognja (Hat of Fire):

The book is available in print and as a Kindle ebook from Amazon.

“A meticulous and thorough document of the old traditions from the Brseč area, a treasure trove of natural history, and an expression of author’s empathy toward all of its inhabitants.”

—Ivana Vitasović-Kosić, PhD 
Associate Professor, Faculty of Agriculture 
University of Zagreb, Croatia

About the Author

“I am really glad that Kvarner is in the spot light! It has a really tumultuous, intriguing, and interesting history. . . . The book is exceptionally rich, comprehensive, and condensed. It would make an excellent documentary!”

—Ivana Filipović Audhya

health economist, Kvarner native

Cambridge,  Massachusetts

Mario Igrec, translator and editor, spent the best days of his childhood in Brseč where his outlook on life was shaped by the wisdom, generosity, and warmth of the local residents, and by Brseč’s unspoiled nature and sea. A pianist with master’s degree in piano performance, he became a concert piano technician and rebuilder, and today serves as Chief Piano Technician at the Juilliard School in New York. He is the author and publisher of Pianos Inside Out, “the most ambitious book on piano technology ever written” (Piano Technicians Journal). During his stint in information technology in the late 1990s, he co-founded a CRM startup, Selltis, where he was CTO and software architect until 2015. Mario lives in Westchester county, New York, with his wife and a cat.

“A treasure trove of culture, both past and present. A masterfully executed challenging task of translating numerous dialectal words and technical terms, from tools and architecture to local flora and fauna.”

—Irena Stanic Rasin

book author and publisher

perlinapress.com