In 2025 and 2026, Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and Gorizia (Italy) jointly hold the title of European Capital of Culture — the first cross-border ECoC in history. Two cities, two countries, one shared cultural programme under the banner GO! 2025.
Two Cities, One Square
For most of the 20th century, a wall and then a fence divided what had been a single community. The Italian city of Gorizia sat on one side; Nova Gorica, built from scratch after 1947 as Yugoslavia’s answer to the lost city, grew on the other. When Slovenia joined the Schengen Area in 2007, the border barriers came down. Today, Trg Evrope / Piazza della Transalpina — the square where the border once ran — is the symbolic heart of the GO! 2025 programme.
What to Expect
The GO! 2025 programme spans hundreds of events across both cities:
- Arts & exhibitions — installations along the former border zone, gallery shows in both cities, street art interventions
- Music & performance — open-air concerts on Trg Evrope, theatre productions that move audiences across the border mid-show
- Food & wine — the Goriška Brda / Collio wine region sits between both cities, and joint tastings highlight the shared viticultural heritage
- Architecture walks — Nova Gorica is a textbook example of socialist modernist urban planning, designed by Edvard Ravnikar (a student of Le Corbusier)
- Cross-border cycling routes — new routes connecting Slovenian and Italian sides through vineyards and along the Soča/Isonzo river
Full programme details: go2025.eu
Getting There
Nova Gorica is well connected by road and rail:
- From Ljubljana: ~1.5 hours by car via the A1/H4 motorway (vignette required). Direct trains run several times daily (~2.5 hours, scenic route through the Vipava Valley).
- From Trieste (Italy): ~45 minutes by car. Bus connections available.
- From Venice: ~2 hours by car. Possible via Trieste or through Gorizia on the Italian motorway network.
- Trieste Airport (TRS) is the nearest international airport, about 50 km away.
Nova Gorica Beyond ECoC
Even without the European Capital of Culture programme, Nova Gorica and its surroundings offer plenty:
- Solkan Bridge — the world’s largest stone arch railway bridge (85-metre span), built in 1906
- Kostanjevica Monastery — final resting place of the last French Bourbon king, Charles X
- Sveta Gora (Holy Mountain) — pilgrimage site with panoramic views over both cities
- Goriška Brda — Slovenia’s premier wine region, often called “the Slovenian Tuscany,” 15 minutes from the city centre
- Trg Evrope / Piazza della Transalpina — the border square, now a monument to European integration
- Rafting on the Soča — the emerald-green Soča river begins its most accessible section near Nova Gorica
Where Nova Gorica Meets the Vipava Valley
Just south of Nova Gorica, the Vipava Valley opens up — one of Slovenia’s most underrated regions. The valley is known for the Burja wind, indigenous grape varieties (Zelen, Pinela, Klarnica), and a cycling-friendly landscape. The towns of Vipava, Ajdovščina, and Štanjel are all within 30 minutes of Nova Gorica.
Together, Nova Gorica, Gorizia, Goriška Brda, and the Vipava Valley form one of the most rewarding corners of Slovenia — especially in 2025 and 2026.