Let's Go! - exploring Gorizia and Nova Goriza

I’ve hopped off at the twin towns Gorizia / Nova Gorica on the Italian / Slovenian border which have been awarded 2025 European Capital of Culture. To take a closer look, I’ve decided to hire a bike from outside the Tourist Info office in Nova Gorica for 1 Euro an hour.

As you might be able to guess from the name, this is a new town.

Before the First World War, Gorz was a rather uneventful part of the Habsburg Empire, so much so, that when King Charles X of France was deposed in 1830, he chose to live out his days here. Like much of the Habsburg lands, the town had a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual population which somehow seemed to muddle along.

However, the First World War, changed everything and in the peace settlement, the Italians were awarded the bulk of the historic city. The border was drawn along its edge to provide a space for the ethnic Slovenes to live in the newly formed Yugoslavia.

After the Second World War, these lands were developed by the Yugoslav authorities to showcase what socialist planning could do.

Cycling around Nova Gorica is easy and it’s a pleasure trundling along the well-marked cycle lanes and past the school with kids learning to play basketball, the beehives and lush gardens with cheery sunflowers.

As with any new town of the 20th century, it makes sense as a conurbation, but perhas doesn’t quite stir the soul in the way an older more higgledy-piggledy place might.

Time to cycle down to the border - a rather peculiar border…

When the line was made between Italy and the newly formed Yugoslavia, it was hastily done in a day and with a rather thick pencil which created some peculiarities, that you can see by bike.

One farmer had his house on one side of the border and his cowshed on the other side. Further down at Miren was a graveyard with the border even running through graves.

Some of the quirkier border issues were resolved in the 1970’s and Italians and Yugoslavs were free to travel across the border, however customs restrictions meant smuggling was rife. There’s a museum that takes you through the history of how people brought highly prized items (jeans and coffee) over the border.

I decide to head into the Italian part - Gorizia via Erjavčeva ulica (street) which is lined with statues to socialist heroes and signs for casinos. The more relaxed attitude to gambling on the Slovene side of the border was a valuable source of western currency. Speaking to locals, I get the impression that it’s now a place for wealthy Chinese to put money into the coffers.

Crossing the border has something of a feel of going back in time to the town’s Habsburg past, albeit with a strong Italian flavour. The old castle is well worth exploring and provides some great views and in the town there are several museums to nosey around

Evenings here also have more of a buzz. Each year at the end of August is the Invisible Cities festival, which this year included Gorizia Cold Case which was the most impressive thing I’ve seen this year.

But there’s only one way to finish any evening in Italy and that’s with an ice cream.