Twin Border Towns Gorizia and Nova Gorica meet for the first time in decades

In the tiny museum of smuggling at the crossing of Italian border in Prista in Slovenia, there is a large black and white photograph of a beautiful cow on display. There is nothing unusual in the same cow, except for the fact that his head is committed to slanderous the hay in the (then) popular federal republic of Yugoslavia, while his body is in a field in Italy. The cow is unaware of the border under his feet, his serene expression which highlights the surreal nature of the situation.

After the end of the Second World War, the boundaries of all over Europe were adapted, with Italy that lost territory in France, Slovenia, Croatia and its colonies. The new boundaries generally gave priority to staff policy, which is why in the north-east of Italy, the small city of Gorizia suddenly found itself divided by her peripheral villages. It was a decision that would have separated families, friends and workers for decades.

The Gorizia wall was erected in 1947-14 years Before The Berlin-E wall was built for 57 years, surviving at the end of the Cold War and the breakdown of Yugoslavia until it was finally officially removed in 2004 when Slovenia joined the EU.

On the transalpine square, in front of a neoclassical railway station of the early 20th century, a large circular plaque marks the point where the wall was once found. Like many visitors, I hope to take a moment to stand with one foot in each country, the only square in the world where it is possible. But unfortunately, my timing is terrible. When I arrive, the square is a construction site.

It is not the only construction activity in Gorizia right now. After many decades separated from history, Gorizia and Nova Gorica (New Gorizia) – the new city built on the other side of the border in Slovenia during those five decades – is one of the European capitals of the culture of 2025. When I visit, many other buildings and spaces in the old city of Gorizia are enriched GO! 2025their year in the spotlight.

While some of his infrastructures could get an update, there is no improvement in Gorizia’s natural resources, which is located at the foot of the Julian Alps. From the city’s medieval hill castle, the view extends over the roofs through Nova Gorica and the tops of the mountains. On the right, the SOCA/Isonzo river crosses Slovenia in Italy, where in the end he heads towards the Gulf of Trieste.

If you arrive in Gorizia by train, the Grand Corso Italia – flanked by trees, majestic villas, offices, a market, boutiques and bakeries with all types of Struduto – leads to the historic center and the central square. Piazza Vittoria is the heart of this lively multicultural region. Venture into a bar or tavern and you may feel Slovenian, Italian or Friulian conversations. The menu could turn north in Austria, to the south to the Adriatic, or simply celebrate the culinary treasures of Friuli-Venezia Giulia-Piese in San Daniele Ham, Montasio Cheese and Radicchio, to name a few. No menu is without a selection of an excellent local wine made by screws on both sides of the edge.

In Rebekin, a welcoming bar and restaurant where we stop for lunch, a counter shows meat and local cheeses, the wine is local and the menu moves from abundant to heavy: polenta, sausages, beans and bread soup, followed by gnocchi stored dusting plums dusted with cinnamon and sugar. I could be in South Tyrol, Central Europe or Slovenia. After hundreds of years under Austrian domination and only a century as an official part of Italy, it is a menu that is based on deep historical and cultural roots.

Gorizia can be small, but it has always been geographically and politically important. The Romans built a road from here, while the first documented mentions of the city date back to 1000 AK the members of the Bourbon dynasty, fleeing the 1830 revolution in France, settled in Gorizia and are now buried in the monastery of Kostanjevica. The region was also the scene of the main battles in both world wars. Among the soldiers of the First World War there was a young voluntary ambulance pilot of Illinois. A decade later, Ernest Hemingway used his experiences in Gorizia as inspiration for the first scenes of his 1927 novel A farewell to weapons.

From the city, they are only a few minutes by bus to Nova Gorica. Imagined by the Slovenian architect Edvard Ravnikar as a city “that would have shone beyond the border”, his plans may have originated during the war, but the new border made them essential.

Although Ravnikar’s original vision has never been fully built, Nova Gorica proves to be a modern, well -elaborate, green and spacious city that reminds me only of a little canberra. A seriously friendly city by bicycle, 10 years of cross-border projects of Egct Go-L’or organization dedicated to transfrontier economic development in the region-year led to a network of cycle paths that connects Italy and Slovenia.

We take two free buttons from the local tourism office and drive towards the river on the large and smooth streets of the city before reaching the graceful historical villages on its suburbs. In front of us, Mount Sveta Gora, with a 16th century Franciscan monastery at its peak, overlooks the Vipava valley. We are looking for the Solkan bridge, which connects Italy and Slovenia at the top above the Soca/Isonzo river. By the end of the year it will be the position of a Virtuous Plan concert by Gorizia Alexander Gadjiev. One of the many out of the ordinary places to show the region, it is not difficult to imagine how exquisitely beautiful is the sound of music that floats through water will be people lucky enough to listen to it.

Romina Kocina, by Egct Go20, the team behind the European capital of culture, says the Go! The 2025 program has many places that have never been used for artistic and cultural events before. It is part of a plan to make sure that the year does not concern only the two border cities. “We want to be the European capital of culture of the whole territory, not only of Gorizia,” he says.

The cycle paths make this plan easy. Only a few kilometers from Nova Gorica and we are pedaling through the Deep Green green forest while we go to Kromberk Castle, a thirteenth century building magnificently preserved with its amphitheater, where a series of concerts are scheduled. In all two cities and the region, historic buildings, squares, churches, parks and other natural resources will host cultural shows and events, the city of ideas, environmental projects and artists who explore the themes of crossed collaboration, the “borders” city and the shared culture and the history of the two cities. Some events are only for fun: the beer without borders will be a bar at the Transalpina square with a part dedicated to local Slovenian breweries, the other to that of Gorizia. Something tells me that it is likely to be popular.

The concept without borders is an idea that resounds strongly. Only 20 years since the wall has come down, the memories are still vivid. “The people who lived at that moment will never forget,” says Kocina. Born in Yugoslavia to a Slovenian mother and a Gorizian father, he still remembers how demanding life could be under that system. Although the border was more fluid than that of Berlin, the journey to and from each sector was bureaucratic and unreliable. Control of goods through the border could also add hours to any crossing.

Again in the Pristava Museum, there are many exhibitions showing how the premises have subverted this border crossing routine: women have hidden cash from the heels of their shoes; A leg of ham was hidden under the wheel hub of a car. The Italians exchanged coffee with dairy products -caseari; The Slovenians sought toys, prohibited books and dirty magazines. Working with each other was essential, even in rigorous border conditions.

Despite the most recent successful collaborations, the two border regions still have a long way to go. At the time of writing, the signs in Nova Gorica were exclusively Slovenians and the information on the map of the Tourist Office of Gorizia stopped on the Italian border. But the Slovenians and Italians now live and work in both countries and Kocina says that more people are making an effort to learn the language of the other. Its ambition is that the capital of cultural experience will facilitate even more connections.

Loading

“The goal is not to forget the past nor to put the past behind, but to understand that the past is part of our culture, in one way or another. We really believe in the future impact that the culture of the European capital can have on both cities and on the entire cross -border area. We hope that there will be a lasting legacy.”

The details

Visit

The European Capital of Culture program takes place throughout 2025 and includes many free events and shows. Reservations for events with tickets are available online. A shuttle bus travels regularly between cities. Free bicycles are available at the Nova Gorica tourist office or use the GO2GO Bike-Share scheme in both cities. See Go2025.eu/en

Fly
Gorizia/Nova Gorica is 50 minutes from Trieste (or two hours from Venice, via Trieste) by train and two hours by bus from Ljubljana. The nearest international airports are located in Ljubljana, Trieste and Venice.

Stay
The 4 -star western Gorizia Best Palace places you in the heart of the old city of Gorizia, with all the main attractions of the city and the railway station a few steps away. The shuttle bus for Nova Gorica is a few steps from the hotel’s entrance door. From $ 200 per night. See goriziapalace.com

In Nova Gorica, Dam Boutique Hotel and Restaurant offers contemporary luxury accommodation just outside the city center. The restaurant presents modern Slovenian cuisine and a vast cellar of local wines. From $ 262. See Damhotel.si/en

Moreover
Tourismafvg.it/en
Slovenia.info/en

The writer traveled at his own expense.