Špacapan House
- Komen, Slovenia
- Text & photo & video: WOOD WE GO
The best WOOD WE GO experience starts here!
Špacapan House
Komen 85 , 6223 Komen
E: info@spacapan.si
T: +386 (0)30 226 390
www.spacapan.si
With love for the Karst
Špacapan House is situated deep in the land of stone, grapevines, the bora wind and sunshine. Theirs is a story of the perfect combination of tradition and modernity, in which Karst cuisine has been developed and promoted for half a century. Traditional Karst delicacies, which have truly fascinated us, are produced in accordance with methods that have been tested and improved over centuries.
However, it’s not only their cuisine that allows you to immerse yourself in the wealth of the Karst landscape and its ancestral traditions; the furnishings of this boutique accommodation in the heart of the Karst are equally important.
An emphasis on tradition
- The inn, in which Karst cuisine has been promoted and developed for 50 years, is listed in the Michelin Guide.
- The well-stocked shop of homemade Karst delicacies offers wines, spirits, vinegars, cheeses and cured meat products.
- The house offers ten fragrant rooms in which you’ll feel hospitality, relaxation and calm.
- The location is an excellent starting point from which to experience the Karst on cycling trails, maintained hiking paths or on horseback.
Špacapan House
Komen 85, 6223 Komen
E: info@spacapan.si
T: +386 (0)30 226 390
www.spacapan.si
TRANSPORT LINKS
Ljubljana Airport: 116 km, 1 h 22 min
Trieste Airport: 28 km, 36 min
Venice Airport: 145 km, 1 h 40 min
Welcome to Komen
Špacapan House is situated in Komen, an urban settlement at the crossroads of routes to Nova Gorica, Vipava and Sežana. Due to its favourable transport position, Komen developed into a central settlement in the Trieste-Komen Karst. In addition to the Teran wine and prosciutto, the Karst has always been renowned for its pristine nature and mysterious underground world, and for cycling trails and maintained hiking paths in recent years.
In the heart of the stony Karst landscape characterised by the sun and the bora wind, we’ve found a story that springs from a deeply rooted love for the environment and ancestors.
“Natural materials link tradition with the surrounding environment. At every time of day, magical moments are conjured up with light reflecting on the terrace, window arches and tables. The rhythms of life and everyday routine are perfectly harmonised with nature, enabling a retreat from everyday hustle and bustle.”
Not only their cuisine, but other experiences in Špacapan House also enable a dive into the wealth of the Karst landscape and the heritage of previous generations.
“Špacapan House is our home, our colleagues are our family members, and our guests are our friends. We want our guests to feel at home, too.”
Špacapan House
Staying here results in a feeling of pleasant retreat and fullness supplemented by an unforgettable experience.
“In the carefully chosen combination of wooden furniture and details, we felt the story of a space that has evolved out of respect for tradition, but at the same time reflects a modern touch. It radiates homeliness, warmth and authenticity through which the signature Karst soul shines radiantly.”
The best starting point for exploring
genuine Karst nature
Boutique experiences & Wellbeing
The cellar of Špacapan House
The cellar was revealed to us as the heart and soul of Špacapan House. Down there, we experienced a special atmosphere in which stories about tradition are being written. This is a place for wine and spirits production and a maturing room for prosciuttos and salamis. A rich vinothèque and a maturing area for cheeses are hidden in the old Karst well.
While remaining loyal to their roots and abiding by the traditional processing methods and natural cycles, they incorporate new skills and knowledge in their products in a unique array that brings together tradition and modernity. Every step, every decision is the expression of experimental perfection that leaves behind it the seal of uniqueness. Through this charming combination of traditional knowledge and innovative creativity, everything that emerges from under their hands is truly something special.
The famous Karst cuisine
Their cuisine focuses on the Karst and is based on first-class Karst ingredients that are mostly home grown and produced. The approach is modern yet founded on tradition. What their ancestors did in the past is now being upgraded. This process results in their signature dishes, the details of which sometimes take several years to mature.
We experienced their cuisine as a theatre performance: a play of textures, cooking techniques, selected flavours and wine accompaniment. Špacapan House is rightfully included in the Michelin Guide. Ago Špacapan is also a proud member of JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs, the association of top chefs and restaurant founders drawn together by their talent, passion for the hospitality sector and a desire to share experiences.
Breakfasts and gourmet tastings
Mother Ada is in charge of the fantastic Špacapan breakfasts. She brings delicacies to the table one by one, starting with beetroot juice, home-laid eggs from the chickens Koka and Keka, who live on the edge of the herb garden, some 10 metres away from the table at which you’re enjoying a fluffy omelette. Then come the homemade butter, prosciutto and cheeses. Recently harvested vegetables from the garden send forth their aromas from every plate. In the tea there’s mint that was growing in the garden just a few minutes ago. Once you’re full, you remain seated. You’re embraced by the song of cicadas and feel the Karst sun slowly warm up the terrace.
Their tasting sessions are perfect opportunities to learn about and try the treasures of their cellar: cured meat products, delicious cheeses, special wines, spirits and vinegars. Accompanied by home-baked sourdough bread made from stone-ground flour.
Wandering in the surrounding area
Cycling, walks in the countryside, caves, sinkholes, hunting, fishing, hiking, thematic trails, castles, churches, military cemeteries, museums, the wine road, the Karst osmica inns, visits to cheese and prosciutto producers and herb growers, and finally, a trip to the coast are but a few further reasons to visit Špacapan House, and that’s in addition to their hospitality and superb cuisine.
The towns of Trieste and Sistiana are found nearby, including the castles of Duino, Miramare, Štanjel and Rihemberk, the Vilenica Cave, the Škocjan Caves Park, the Postojna Cave, the Lipica Stud Farm and Golf Club Lipica. We visited a workshop of the master stonecutter Jernej Bortolato and Rihemberk Castle, rode the RockVelo e-bikes and admired the beauty of the landscape on the backs of horses from the Tunink Ranch.
Culinary magic in every morsel
Ago Špacapan is not merely a chef, he’s a passionate ambassador of the Karst and a master of his craft who not only prepares dishes, but also creates experiences. His love of the landscape, tradition and the Karst people is reflected in every dish, every glass of wine and every tale he shares with his guests.
Wood & Sustainability
The rooms in Špacapan House are imbued with an exceptional atmosphere that originates from the cleverly integrated bathrooms and unique furniture, antique wooden pieces that the Špacapan family has carefully searched for and collected over the years. We were most impressed with the loft rooms that shine in their own special way due to the exposed wooden beams that reflect the past and an authentic heritage.
The Špacapan family believe in the power of nature and abide by the simple philosophy that a supreme product can only be made from the best ingredients. They create everything in an environmentally friendly and natural way, which also applies to the products from their cellar and herb garden, as well as to all other areas of their activity.
In 2021, Špacapan House obtained the Green Key certificate, a leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation in the tourism industry. Their guests are invited to join them in protecting the pristine Karst environment and are asked to explore the surrounding area only on foot or on bikes, which is what we did, too.
We haven’t seen anything in Špacapan House that wasn’t made in accordance with tradition. Everything is made as per methods that have undergone centuries of testing and refinement.
“We have to learn to do things the way our ancestors did them,” assert these conscientiously Karst people. When it comes to selecting their business partners, they choose only those who are compatible with their way of thinking.
The local cuisine alone is a good enough reason to visit the Karst. Every passing season brings magic to the plate, as the flavours are intermingled with natural rhythms and traditional ingredients that are brought to life in harmony with each season.
Špacapan House, surrounded by the idyllic Karst landscape, is the venue where tradition, nature and supreme culinary artistry are combined. By respecting the ingredients, following carefully selected preparation procedures, and sharing a passion for wine, the family have developed a culinary journey that reveals to the guests all the beauty and wealth of this region.
The residents of Komen don’t simply spend their time. They live it intensely. They know how to enjoy and fall in love with their beloved Karst time and again with every flavour provided by its soil. Every morsel contains the stories, aromas and memories that form the heart of this hidden corner of paradise.
WOOD WE GO
on a visit
Among the hidden treasures of the Karst underground
- Blog; Špacapanova hiša; 13 novembra, 2023
At the tables of Špacapan House, laden with delicious food creations, one can only hear the sounds of subtle satisfaction for which no actual words exist. Irrespective of where and how many times we have tried any of the Karst delights, everything is more authentic here and of fuller flavour. Perhaps cooking really is like wine production, since Ago Špacapan says that one has to understand nature for both activities. But here, deep in the bosom of the Karst, wine production and cooking both take on an intriguing new dimension. …
Lili & Dušan
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