Salt Pan Gatherings 2026
The Salt Pan Gatherings project continues the Salt pans Cuisine initiative and this year further develops and renews its content.
The Salt Pan Gatherings project continues the Salt pans Cuisine initiative and this year further develops and renews its content.
The programme, which we have been implementing since 2020, will this time be designed as a cycle of four gatherings dedicated to exploring saltmaking heritage and its significance for the present and the future. The gatherings will take place at four different locations connected to saltmaking and salt pans, allowing participants to engage directly with the environment where this heritage is preserved and practiced. Special emphasis will be placed on discovering both the traditional and contemporary dimensions of saltmaking — from traditional knowledge, practices, and values to innovative approaches.
The programme will feature a diverse range of activities, including exhibitions, lectures, and discussions with researchers and heritage experts, as well as workshops and other accompanying events. These activities aim to raise awareness about the importance of preserving saltmaking heritage while also creating space for reflection on the role of traditional knowledge in shaping sustainable solutions for the future. Through this cycle of four gatherings, the programme offers an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge, the meeting of diverse perspectives, and a deeper understanding of saltmaking heritage.
Programme 2026
20 May 2026 at 17:00
Museum of salt making, Fontanigge – Sečovlje Salina Nature Park
The Museum of salt making presents the history of the salt pans and the way of life and work of saltworkers. It was established 35 years ago, although the idea for the museum had already begun to take shape in the 1960s, following the abandonment of saltmaking in the Fontanigge area.
17 June 2026 at 18:00
Strunjan Salt Pans, Visitor Centre – Landscape park Strunjan
The Strunjan Salt Pans, built on the alluvial plain of the Roja stream, are the smallest and northernmost salt pans on the Adriatic coast where salt is still produced using traditional methods.
29 July 2026 at 18:00
Multimedia Centre, Lera – Sečovlje Salina Nature Park
The Lera production area represents the central site of contemporary local saltmaking, where traditional table salt, Piran salt, and fleur de sel are produced through the traditional process of daily harvesting.
7 October 2026 at 17:00
Monfort Exhibition Space, former salt warehouse, Portorož – Maritime Museum “Sergej Mašera” Piran
The Monfort warehouse, together with the Grando warehouse, is a rare example of a preserved salt warehouse. Built in the second half of the 19th century, it was capable of storing up to 20,000 tonnes of salt produced in the Piran salt pans.
The concluding event of the project will take place within the framework of the European Heritage Days and Heritage Week, which this year are being held under the title “Heritage in the Whirlwind of Change – Opportunities and Challenges.”
Organisers and partners:
the Maritime Museum "Sergej Mašera" Piran, the Self-Governing Community of Italian Nationality Piran, the Community of Italians "Giuseppe Tartini" Piran, Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, SOLINE Salt Production, Landscape park Strunjan, the Science and Research Centre Koper and others.
