Valamar Pical Resort

The 5-star Pical Resort in Poreč is the largest investment in the history of Croatian tourism. Located in the Pical Bay, the resort is envisioned as an open and integrated space featuring promenades, beaches, cycling paths, and recreational facilities.

For Pical Resort, we developed the brand strategy, naming concepts, and on-site communication. In collaboration with selected Croatian artists, we also worked on creating original artworks inspired by the brand strategy. The extensive scope of work additionally included the development of souvenirs for the La Mula de Parenzo, as well as the creative concept, interactive content, and product design for the Maro Club and Bike Center Poreč.

The resort consists of three properties: Pical Family Hotel, Pical Hotel, and the Pical Suites. Each of them guides guests through fascinating and unexpected stories that reflect the rich history of Poreč. Through extensive research of historical, natural, geographical, and cultural sources related to Poreč, we identified several compelling elements. The main pillars of the Pical Resort branding are the Parenzana rilway, and the underwater labyrinth located in Pical Bay.

The Parenzana was a narrow-gauge railway that connected 33 towns across Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. The train transported wine, olive oil, salt, flour, and construction materials, fueling and sustaining the entire Istrian region. It is a story about the beauty of nature, heritage, and Parenzana as both an economic and cultural driving force of the region. Inspired by the legacy of the Parenzana, we wanted to bring this proud era of Istrian history closer to every hotel guest. The natural beauty of the Parenzana route serves as the main motif communicated throughout the V-level section.

By analyzing the resort’s micro-location, we uncovered the story of a unique underwater stone labyrinth hidden within Pical Bay. This remarkable stone portrait of an underwater city became the inspiration behind the Pical Family Hotel. Its central concept draws inspiration from the history of Poreč and the mosaics of the Euphrasia Basilica.

Fabulart is the visual story of the brand. For the first time in the world, motifs from a brand strategy have been expressed through original artwork. The artistic concept of Pical Resort is inspired by the stone labyrinth in Pical Bay and the narrow-gauge Parenzana railway. Croatian academic artists created paintings, sculptures, and ceramics to creatively project the visual story of the brand.

The artistic concept brought together more than 50 artists, each interpreting the uniqueness of the hotel in their own original way. Among them are works by renowned artists such as Dušan Džamonja, Ivan Picelj, and Zlatan Vrkljan, as well as award-winning contemporary artists. Some of the featured artists include Miran Šabić, Đanino Božić, Ana Sladetić Šabić, Elvis Berton, Aleksandar Bezinović, Mirko Zrinšćak, Predrag Todorović, Natalia Borčić, Siniša Majkus, Ida Blažičko, Alex Knapić, Svjetlan Junaković, Diana Trohar, Damir Sobota, Ana Ratković Sobota, and Irena Škrinjar.

Based on motifs from the brand strategy, original works by award-winning artists from Croatia and abroad were carefully selected. The artworks are displayed throughout the lobby, restaurants and bars, communal spaces, corridors, and guest rooms. The entire process of creating and selecting the artworks lasted more than two years. The natural beauty of the Parenzana route inspired the art featured in the V-level section, while the underwater stone labyrinth of Pical Bay inspired the family section. The central part of the resort draws inspiration from Poreč and the rich wall and floor mosaics of the Euphrasia Basilica.

Miran Šabić is the author of woodcuts depicting abstract motifs of the pine tree, the beautiful tree surrounding the resort, as well as the Istrian hills and the Sečovlje salt pans located along the Parenzana route. Artist Ana Sladetić Šabić created a wallpaper illustration featuring abstract interpretations of Parenzana, along with artworks inspired by the underwater labyrinth and the city of Poreč.

Istrian artist Ðanino Božič brought the concept of Poreč’s mosaics and Roman streets closer to guests through his works, reviving traces of the city’s inspiring past. Through her artwork displayed at the Quattro Terre restaurants, Diana Trohar combined the characteristics, colours, and textures of the four soil types found in Istria. With motifs of ancient vases and Roman mosaics, artist Damir Sobota guides visitors on a journey through Poreč’s ancient heritage.

As part of the artistic concept, photographs by prominent Istrian photographers were selected, alongside works by a new generation of artists who captured striking scenes along the Parenzana route through their lenses. The selected photographs are featured in a special photo monograph that reveals the unique character and heritage of Parenzana.

We developed the souvenir concept and materials for the La mula de Parenzo Shop, located within the V-level. We found inspiration in the story of the La mula de Parenzo and the heritage of the Parenzana railway. Each product carries a part of this legacy and symbolizes the connection between the three countries. Those being Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.

La mula de Parenzo was the first Istrian business woman, known for supporting the local economy through her work and trade, just as the Parenzana once connected countries and contributed to the development of the region. In honor of the first entrepreneur from Poreč, we created an entrepreneur set and a special Deli Box inspired by the dish Bigoli con le luganighe, which is mentioned in the song about La mula. We also created recipes and illustrations for a recipe notebook featuring traditional Istrian dishes.

The offer includes ceramic products, textiles, and bedding created by Croatian academic artists. In addition, we designed puzzles inspired by Poreč and its heritage postcards and posters featuring artistic works, as well as a photo monograph that takes you along the paths of the Parenzana through the photographs of local photographers.

We developed a creative concept for Maro Kids Club, the part of the resort designed for children aged 3 to 12. Based on the concept, we created illustrations for wallpapers, curtains, themed zones, product design, and the communication of destination stories within the kids’ club. Our goal was to use the creative concept and interactive content to help children discover the destination and learn about the historic railway in a fun and engaging way. Every activity and every corner was designed to guide the youngest visitors through the story of Parenzana.

The playful illustrations for Maro Club were created by illustrator BooBoo Tannenbaum. They depict the landscape through which the railway once passed, including tunnels, hills, bridges, valleys, Istrian towns and landmarks, as well as the flora and fauna along the route. In the themed houses, children learn about traditional Istrian cuisine, while the wallpapers showcase local ingredients and dishes such as kroštule, pljukanci, and truffles. Through simple tasks, the interactive locomotive introduces children to life along the Parenzana railway. The product design concept for the interactive elements and totems was created by designer Goga Golik.

The Parenzana route passed through Višnjan, home to an observatory that is one of the world’s most active in discovering and tracking asteroids. The story of Višnjan inspired us to create SpacePark, a themed playground that encourages children to explore space through a combination of play and fascinating scientific facts. For the SpacePark, we developed the entire signage system and the content for the educational boards.

Maro Club also includes PlayLand, a 1,200 m² space offering exciting, creative, and educational activities for children. We created the PlayLand map and designed thematic zones throughout the space, with visual elements supported by our custom totems, hanging signs, and curtains.

Bike Center Poreč is an exciting destination that reflects the history of the famous Parenzana trail through unforgettable experiences and the natural beauty of Istria. We created its visual identity and a creative concept called The Cycle of Istrian Greatness. Throughout the entire bike center experience, guests are invited to discover attractive cycling routes that follow the former Parenzana railway.

The goal was to capture the feeling of Parenzana and the discovery of its “seven wonders” through The Cycle of Adventure, The Cycle of Nature, The Cycle of Beauty, The Cycle of Joy, The Cycle of Heritage, The Cycle of Gastronomy, and The Cycle of Happiness. For example, The Cycle of Nature introduces visitors to the story of mushroom cultivation in the cold conditions of the Sv. Vid and Kalcini tunnels along the Parenzana route. The Cycle of Beauty reveals the mosaic of Istrian beauty and the remarkable stories of Istrian towns, such as Grožnjan, the town of artists said to have been built by giants.

Every detail within the resort was designed to guide guests through the story of Poreč, Parenzana, and the underwater stone labyrinth. Destination stories and motifs were integrated into a wide range of communication materials, from F&B and Family brochures, breakfast buffet labels, menus, and brochures featuring local family farms, to hotel signage, as well as content for the photo monograph and the ART magazine. The magazine presents the artistic concept of the hotel and, through numerous interviews with artists, offers a deeper insight into artistic creation.