DRIVING INFORMATION

Alaçatı – Yağcılar Village: 41 kilometers

Alaçatı – Kuşçular Village: 47 kilometers

YAĞCILAR VILLAGE

Surrounded by pine trees and fields, Yağcılar is a tiny village with two streets, a grocery and a village cafe. Declared to have ‘the freshest air in the region’, this small village has been hosting a great world wide art event since 2013.

‘Eski Ev-Yeni Sanat’(Old House-New Art) International Plastic Arts Symposium is an art and social project that takes place in October. The project aims at including the inhabitants of rural areas in its workshops and exhibitions which takes place in Bağ Evi Boutique Hotel, a beautiful stone building with 6 rooms surrounded by nature. The event, hosting different artists from various fields such as photography, painting and sculpture every year has started with the notions such as balancing ‘the old and the new’, the respect for the life we are surrounded by, and exploring our inner freedom and authenticity.

Urla Bağ Evi is an ideal location to stay while taking the Urla Vineyard Route. Uva, the restaurant of the hotel, is a great place where you can taste the regional wines accompanied with delicious tastes. The amazing tastes by Mrs. Hediye, one of the locals of Yağcılar Village, are being served in the restaurant.

Ayerya Rüzgarlı Vadi Çiftliği (Ayerya Windy Valley Farm), located in Yağcılar Village is an enormous organic and animal farm hosting 12.000 olive trees and many fruit trees, Saanen goats and farm animals. In Ayerya Dükkan, the shop by the farm, you can taste and buy organic and natural olives produced in the farm, extra-virgin olive oil, vegetables, fruits, goat milk, ‘sepet peyniri/yoğurdu’ (a type of regional cheese and yoghurt), farm animal products, tomato/pepper pastes, grape molasse, honey, grapes, figs, walnuts and pine kernel. You can also buy soaps, cleaning and cosmetic products of the farm. There is a cafe managed by the shop in Arasta Bazaar in Old Urla where they sell and present the local tastes made by using the natural products from the farm.

OVA VILLAGE

Atölye Kırmızı, on the way from Demircili to Kuşçular is an art gallery, atelier and cafe with a cute decoration located in Ova village. Kırmızı often hosts sculpture, painting, ceramic, theatre, dance and children workshops. Cafe Marangoz, that is in the same village, is another good address that serves breakfast, coffee and pasta. If you want to sit and drink tea&coffee with the villagers, Ova Kahve is an authentic address.

In between Ova & Kuşçular Villages there is a gastronomy gem: Vino Locale. Opened in 2018 in Kuşçular Village by Seray and Ozan couple, (8037 Sok. No:3) Vino Locale is a perfect place to stop by while taking the ‘Urla Vineyard Route’.

The elegantly designed stone building located in a green garden, perfectly represent the architecture, hospitality and authenticity of the region. Their constantly changing menu includes tastes prepared from fresh local ingredients such as artichokes and olives, guaranteed to offer a real feast to your soul. Ozan, son of a working mother and father started to cook at the age of 8 with recipes of Emine Beder, a famous Turkish food columnist, has developed his kitchen skills and started inviting his friends to serve his pastas, meats and chocolate pastries. After working in the kitchens of Mia Mensa and Hyatt Regency Hotel, he married Seray whom he fell in love with at the university. After that, they started to dream together of creating a gastronomy address that offers changing tasting menus with seasonal fresh products from the land and trees, and living in the green landscape of Urla that resembles countrysides of Italy or France. They have completed the construction in 6 months after they bought the garden in Yağcılar village. Vino Locale is the outcome of a creative and passionate story that takes its guests to a journey among the handmade tastes. No frozen products are used in their recipes and all the ingredients are fresh and seasonal. Seray, the landlady, adds her elegant and delightful taste to every detail including presentation, service, music, ambiance and decoration. You can feel the excitement of this young couple as soon as you enter the building and can’t help but admire their talent about creating experimental and creative tastes where every month means another journey in their cuisine.We strongly recommend you to visit this gastronomy address which is open throughout the year. Since it is a restaurant serving alcohol, there’s an age limit of 15 and the maximum capacity of the place is 30 persons, so reservation is recommended.

We should also add that Vino Locale has been rewarded 3 “pearls” in İncili Gastronomy Awards.

KUŞÇULAR VILLAGE

Kuşçular is a village mentioned in the famous “Seyahatname” (Journal of Evliya Çelebi’s Travels) as “Either shall one have 7 decares land or a boat in Azmak.” Although the tobacco fields which were famous before 1990, has been turned into history now, it is still a piece of heaven. Along the villagers involved in agriculture, people who escaped from the city life to the countryside and opened vineyards, horse farms, restaurants and cafes also live in Kuşçular Village.