I heard this phrase in a book on tape so I am not sure of the spelling and I can't mind it in my dictionary or on line in any spelling I can guess at.
The character in the audio book saw it in a book herself and used it, along with the phrase "arctic tundra" to describe the winter bound town she lived in.
Can anyone else help out?

This from viki: A barbican (from medieval Latin barbecana, "outer fortification of a city or castle,"

Valetic comes up as a village in croatia. So, Valetic Castles perhaps.

Balletic is the only similar "common" word I can think of. Perhaps the village would make a good setting for a ballet?

Valetischer Stammenfürsten
This is my closest quick-find or quickest close-find. Brush up yours German.
Stop's in deiner Pfeiffe, rauch es auf. (Brecht-Weil)

"Valeten dringen auf die Halbinsel Calmuts vor: über die Lasar-Anhöhen und durch den Siwarr Wald, ab 745 weiter Richtung Küste (748 von Yezzo berechnetes Gründungsjahr Dorguirios?, Beginn einer eigensinnigen Zeitrechnung (nur bis 592 v. Gad.), Gründungsmythos im ?sé narrfle?). Um 600 Königsherrschaften valetischer Stammesfürsten in Dorguirios, die um 510 abgesetzt werden; Einführung der Republik in Dorguirios; die Kultur bleibt valetisch.
Mitte 8. Jh.- Beginn 7.Jh. v. Gad." Just fancy Barbarians having barbicans round their fortresses.

Could it be villatic barbican (link)?

villatic [fr. L. villaticus < villa], rural

rural

A rural gate or tower does not make much sense to this old codger. Maybe you had to be there ...

you know, like an old ruin?

Aha, villatic, that's it. It is said by someone (in a Jan Karon novel) complaning about their small and winter bound village.
thanks,
I knew you could do it.

Zed, I think zmjezhd gave a link to your Jan Karon novel!

-ron o.

Oddly enough the link is to the book preceeding mine. Which means that since the character in my novel read it in a novel, she probably read it in her own prequel. hmmm.

Ah, the Neverending Story.