The study visit of the Agency for rural development of Istria with the representatives of the Istria County, the City of Pula-Pola and the company Tržnica d.o.o. Pula, was an opportunity for the partners to exchange experiences and present their activities within the project with the aim of creating a unique gastronomic experience.

The Apoxyomenos Museum and the Lošinj lugger ‘Nerezinac’, a famous cargo ship over 100 years old that portrays and interprets the rich naval and shipbuilding heritage of the island of Lošinj, hosted a presentation of cured meat products from autochthonous Istrian breeds in the assortment of AZRRI - Agency for rural development of Istria. The successful cooperation of AZRRI with the company Jadranka has been highlighted in relation to the preservation and promotion of indigenous foods on the island of Lošinj. 

The rich program of the study visit included a presentation dinner of the Agency for rural development of Istria and Jadranka hoteli d.o.o. at the Punta restaurant, a visit to Veli Lošinj, the Bora Bar tavern, the Apoxyomenos Museum and Providenca theme viewpoint. The Artatore restaurant held a tasting of a specially designed menu of the Apoxyomenos' antique cuisine.

Key Q+ is a project aimed at increasing the tourist offer of the cross-border area by developing a unique tourism product based on a common cultural and culinary heritage that connects Croatian and Italian border regions and exploring and discovering the tastes, flavours and traditions of rural areas surrounding the north of the Adriatic.

In addition to the tourist itinerary, the project's goal is to create a gastronomic guidebook, didactic programs and experience exchange workshops for the employees of the tourist and catering sector of the cross-border area. The director of the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board, Dalibor Cvitković, thanked the Agency for rural development of Istria, the leading partner in this innovative project. He said: „The key to the success of this project is the multidisciplinary approach, the cooperation of all stakeholders in the sector of culture and tourism, catering, gastronomy and agriculture. This is a step forward in promoting our cultural heritage through the presentation and valorisation of the Apoxyomenos' antique cuisine, which will further connect the stakeholders, citizens and guests interested in culture and gastronomy.” The Mali Lošinj Tourist Board is one of nine Croatian-Italian partners on the project.”

As part of the project, seven KeyQ + sites have been selected, representing reference points for professionals, tourists and citizens interested in culture and gastronomy. Apart from the Apoxyomenos Museum, the Lošinj restaurants Artatore, Bora Bar, Veli žal and Za Kantuni also participate in the project.