Boumbara gets married - The small town of Vodnjan, or Dignano in Italian, is located in the south of Istria, ten kilometres north of Pula. Before the demographic and urban growth of Pula, Vodnjan was in fact the main urban centre of this part of Istria. The “Bumbari”, as the autochthon Italian inhabitants of Vodnjan call themselves, still nurture various parts of their own culture and heritage. The opera An Istrian Wedding represents one of the most important identity places for Vodnjan.
The opera was composed by Antonio Smareglia, the composer of a turbulent biography, in 1854 after a stay in Vodnjan, which was his father’s birthplace. The storyline was thus right in Vodnjan and the atmosphere of the place was further evoked by the introduction of elements of Istrian folklore.