Marusici: Culture, History and Routes

Marusici offers several distinct points of interest for a stay: the sculptures of Forma Viva, historic chapels, routes through the area and recurring festival traditions. The area’s history and cultural offerings can be considered side by side without combining them into a single experience. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between historic sites, named routes and programmes for specific festival years. This can help you decide whether art and history, a route or a festival date should shape your stay.

Sculptures and Historic Traces

The Forma Viva sculpture park is next to the cultural centre and features around forty sculptures in a karst landscape. The works were created as part of the international summer sculpture school Kornarija. The artworks, the context in which they were created and the landscape each offer a distinct point of interest.

The history of settlement provides a different chronological perspective: Marusici developed between the 16th and 18th centuries, while an older medieval settlement lies farther north. The development of the area and the older settlement site can therefore be considered as distinct historical points of reference.

The chapels, too, are best distinguished carefully. Near Marusici is the Romanesque Chapel of St Lucia, which was remodelled in 1781. A short road leads uphill from Forma Viva towards Sorbar, where visitors can see two medieval chapels. One of them is the cemetery chapel of St Lucia. Its altarpiece is signed by F. Quajati and dated 1872. The year 1781 therefore refers to the remodelling of the nearby Romanesque chapel, while 1872 refers to the altarpiece in Sorbar.

Routes through Marusici

The official cycling route “Medieval Towns and Momjan Wine Roads” passes through Marusici. A section of the Parenzana connects Buje, Kremenje, Momjan, Črnci, Marusici, Sv. Florijan and Triban; the historic route is known as the “Wine Railway”. The first is explicitly identified as a cycling route, while the Parenzana is notable for its historic name and the sequence of places it connects. These distinctions can help you identify each route by its named characteristics.

Festivals and Culinary Traditions

The traditional Luganigada in Marusici is a recurring festival celebrating local sausages. In 2024, it was held for the 32nd time; it was also listed in the municipal calendar for 2025. The 2024 programme included the 12th Kroštulada, a competition to prepare homemade kroštule. The January 2024 Luganigada programme also included a recreational cycling ride and a walking excursion, both starting in Marusici.

The Prvomajska Tripada centres on the preparation of tripice. The international gastronomic competition was held for the seventh time in 2026. At the 2024 Tripada, visitors could sample tripice prepared in various ways after the cooking competition. Music and folklore are also part of the events programme: Pišćaci i gunjci’s 2026 programme featured performances by traditional music groups, tavolac dancing, a folklore workshop and an exhibition.

The events have different focuses: sausages and kroštule at the Luganigada, tripice at the Tripada, and music and folklore at Pišćaci i gunjci. If a festival affects your travel plans, check the dates for the relevant edition.

Discover more destinations: Buje, Baredine, Krasica, Kanegra, Sveta Marija Na Krasu, Gamboci, Kaldanija, Kaštel

For the broader travel overview: Općina Buje.