Gorizia and Nova Gorica: sharing nature and culture

PHOTO BY   facebook page GORIZIA 
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In 2020, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, Gorizia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy) obtained immense and unexpected, though well-deserved, prestige: the election as European Capital of Culture for the year 2025. And now that 2025 has arrived, Gorizia – together with its twin city across the border, Nova Gorica – express that hymn to culture that is born from the union of nations, not from their division. And it involves the entire region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in this adventure, also a place of cultural mix and a bridge between populations. This is the ideal year to get to know this city and the territory to which it belongs.

Gorizia and Nova Gorica

The first time the name “Gòriza” (from the Slavic, “hill”) appears in the chronicles of history is the year 1000 AD. The Middle Ages, therefore, began together with this place that faced the centuries as a single city – passing from the principality of Slovenia to Austria to Italy – until 1947, the year in which, at the end of the Second World War, its metropolitan area was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia. The political border passed right through the center of the city but, if for 80 years it remained an insurmountable limit that separated the western and modern Gorizia from the poor and sad Nova Gorica, after the fall of the Iron Curtain it became almost impossible to distinguish the two cities.

Slovenia, to which Nova Gorica belongs, has willingly agreed to share its territory with the Italian Gorizia and the urban settlement now forms a single unit, embellished and renovated in the name of a tourism based on peace and cooperation. This makes – in facts, not just in words – this city a capital of European culture.

Gorizia retains that Germanic historical aspect, softened by the Italian influence. Its main monuments are the Cathedral, the church of St Ignazio, the Synagogue, the Cronberg Palace, the Strassoldo Palace, the Castle and the Military Shrine. In Nova Gorica, on the other hand, you can admire the Basilica of the Assumption, the co-cathedral of the Holy Saviour, the monastery of Castagnevizza, the Transalpina Square’s Station, the Monocorona Castle; here the Germanic architecture merges a little with the more austere one of Tito’s former Yugoslavia. The two cities meet, not only symbolically, in Transalpina square on whose floor the line of the geographical and political border remains traced; today it is no longer a division but a tourist attraction.

Beyond Gorizia …

As a capital of culture, Gorizia-Nova Gorica has agreed to include the surrounding areas in the events (  program HERE ). And so both Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Slovenia become supporting itineraries.

From Gorizia you can easily reach Udine, which is less than an hour’s drive away: along the way, the main stops are Palmanova (the spectacular star-shaped fortress city), Aquileia (an important medieval center that boasts a spectacular ancient basilica) and finally the capital with its medieval lodges, the castle, the Romanesque cathedral, the elegant palaces and the fountains. Those who love the sea can reach the beaches of Lignano or Grado in about 40-minute drive.

From Nova Gorica, the Slovenian itinerary includes a visit to Ljubljana (an hour and a half away by car), the Polhograjski Dolomites park, and the spectacular coasts of Koper and Izola. In two hours of travel, crossing the border a couple of times, you can get to Rijeka, in Croatia, where the wonderful beaches compete with the unique artistic monuments.

Special attention to Trieste

In this panorama of cultural events that start from Gorizia, Trieste deserves a special mention. Not only for the beauty of its historical and artistic itinerary – which includes the medieval Cathedral of St Giusto, the ancient Synagogue, the Serbian Orthodox Temple, the church of St Anthony Taumaturgo with its neoclassical appearance plus the elegant buildings of Piazza Italia, the ancient Baths and the castles of San Giusto and Miramare – but also because Trieste offers the reference point for travelers.

The Trieste-Ronchi dei Legionari (TRS) airport is in fact just 25 minutes away from Gorizia, by car – about 28 km. The excellent connections, both public and private means, guarantee immediate transfers to all points of the itineraries and to the cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica in particular. From Trieste airport, Gorizia can be reached via the A34 motorway and also with direct railway lines.

How to face a holiday in Gorizia

To face your holiday in Gorizia and Nova Gorica, pack comfortable shoes and devices to take lots of photos. Don’t forget some elegant clothes, for the various cultural events that will take place, and of course include in your luggage also some warm clothes or a jacket because of the fresh wind from the Adriatic that often reaches these places, especially in the evening. Bathing suits are welcome! Do not miss the Venezia Giulia and Slovenia beaches, if you have the chance!