The hidden village of Lećevica in Croatia's Dalmatia region

A beautiful hidden village you will more then likely never visit, yet alone find even if you tried...

One of the coolest experiences we had in our world travels, and may even the coolest experience ever, was when our friends from Split invited us for an incredible Dalmatian culinary experience at the village of Lećevica, which is hidden in the mountains and hills behind the city of Split with a population of just under 800. Now, not to sound mean saying you will never visit or even find such a place, but it's simply due to the fact of the difficulty in finding the village with secluded roads in the middle of nowhere leading to dead ends, which can be a little creepy if you are not a true local born and raised in the area. We were simply lucky enough to have met the coolest friends in all Croatia! With the half asphalt and half dirt roads we witnessed to get to the village, we couldn't help but to think to ourselves that if we were alone we would have eventually just turned back around to civilization.

After a 35 minute drive through the twisty roads, a few dead ends and U turns, we finally arrived. A beautiful village with rock stone built structures with very few people, yet very tranquil, with a green scenery and very few houses spread through out the visible roads. In the center of the main village is a Croatian Kanoba restaurant with private villas that can be rented for a weekend stay. We were told by the locals that a very distinct cliental come here for some peaceful time away from the city.

Upon arrival we were greeted and escorted into our private table inside one of the stone villas. We began with some domestic white wine, and a domestic made spirit called šljivovica which is made from plums. Some bread, meats and cheeses, all which are also made here at the village. Everything we drank or ate here is all domestic and made within the village grounds. The wine was phenomenal, the cheese and meat platter aged to perfection. The bread was just amazing, a distinct flavor we have never tasted, you can literally taste the smokiness from the wood fire where the bread is baked.

After a few glasses of wine and appetizers, we were brought a delicious noodle like soup, with a broth so tasty we dipped in for seconds and thirds! The Main course was a delicious beef and lamb dish with marinated potatoes and carrots, paired with a marinated cabbage side salad which was prepared upon request by our friend. The meat was slow cooked for hours the night prior leading up to our arrival and served straight to our table, so delicious, and made with so much love. Just an experience like no other, hard to match a meal like this.

Our stone dinner room had a very cool historic touch of a holy water font that was from a 300+ year old church which adds to the already cool atmosphere in the dinner room. The Kanoba has no menu, everything is made upon request and of course nothing is sourced outside the village, all is made with the resources and ingredients within the village grounds. I forgot to mention the delicious like doughnut holes that were served for appetizers, but unfortunately I couldn't take pictures of them as they were devoured by my husband and stood no chance to last for a picture!

After our meal we went for a walk around the village grounds to walk off the feast we had. Our friends then told us we will pick white asparagus during our walk as it grows wild in this region. I didn't have much luck with only a few pieces, but our friends have the trained eye on spotting the asparagus growing in the brush just off the road ways and in the end we all collected a nice batch which our friends used a few days later for a delicious risotto dish. We finished off the day with some more wine and the host broke out a Gusle, a music instrument from the Dalmatian and Eastern Europe region made from wood or animal skin with horse hair. The Gusle used that day was hundreds of years old. I even got a chance to play the instrument, but failed miserably, but it was still epic!

Where the magic happens, used to smoke Prosciutto and bread

We couldn't thank our friends enough for this amazing experience. This was definitely one of the best experiences we have had through out our journey around the world so far. The Dalmatia culture is truly incredible!

Me failing and attempting to play the Gusle...