Competing Projects 2025
IstrianaStudio Tumpić/Prenc
Istria, the Croatian’s region where Istriana’s olive oils are grown, was formerly an important part of the Roman Empire, noted for the high quality of olive oil exported across the empire. Its excellence was even mentioned in the epic Roman poems of the era: ”Cordova, thou art more fertile than the unctuous Venafro and as perfect as Istrian oil” by Marcus Valerius Martialis. The contemporary bottle design for Istriana represents reassembled fragments of old amphorae – containers once used for the storage and transportation of olive oil in the Roman era. The glass ‘cracks’ allow a glimpse inside the bottle. The bottle’s pigment is mixed with red Istrian earth from the olive groves – just like the clay that was originally used to make amphorae. When placed inside the box, the bottle forms part of a shape resembling amphorae used in Istria in Roman times, further emphasising the connection between past and present.
