Nova Gorica and Gorizia are borderless

Mauro Leban’s family farm in Gorizia, Italy, is located in the heart of a region shaped by history.

The cities of Nova Gorica and Gorizia on both sides of the Italian-Slovenian border will serve as European Capitals of Culture in 2025.

The program of the neighboring cities will focus on the theme of overcoming borders, under the motto: “GO! Borderless.”

But it hasn’t always been this way.

In 1947, a cow stood with her front legs in what was then Yugoslavia and her hind legs in Italy, straddling a chalk line that marked a new border.

The scene is captured in a photo dated September 17, 1947.

For the Lebanese, this border was not just a border; it was a harbinger of turmoil that would redefine their lives.

That line symbolized the implementation of the Paris Peace Conference, which divided the city of Gorizia and changed lives overnight.

The decision was adopted by the victors of World War II in February of that year.

Leban recalls how his father and uncles, aware that changes were coming, were still shocked by the speed of the transformation.

Their farm was divided in two by the new border, with the farm in Italy and the fields in Yugoslavia.

Faced with a painful decision, the family chose to stay in Italy. Fortunately, according to Leban, the authorities agreed to adjust the course of the border fence so that the cowshed remained on Italian territory.

For the next eight years, the Lebanese were among the few allowed to cross the border to work their fields, a temporary privilege amid strict controls.

This episode is emblematic of Gorizia’s turbulent history.

The city was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and passed to Italy after World War I. Even then, Gorizia was cosmopolitan, because while German was spoken in the offices, coffee was ordered in Italian.

The city faced new upheavals when Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito tried to annex the city after World War II. When that failed, Tito decided to build a new city just across the border: Nova Gorica.

Tito’s original vision was only partially realized.

The city, where 13,000 inhabitants now live, exudes vitality, partly supported by the university founded in 1995.

Nearby, visitors can explore sights such as the historic Franciscan Monastery of Kostanjevica or the remarkable Solkan Bridge.

This architectural wonder stretches over the emerald waters of the Isonzo River (known in Slovenia as the Soča) and features the largest stone arch in the world.

The bridge was once part of the first transalpine railway in 1906 and symbolically linked Gorizia to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, reinforcing its historical significance.

Meanwhile, Gorizia, which has a population of 35,000, shows its Italian charm, with historic sights such as the Borgo Castello castle and culinary delights from Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

In 2025, the two cities will jointly serve as European Capitals of Culture under the motto “GO! Borderless”

But on Mauro Leban’s farm, a toll gate painted in the Italian tricolor serves as a poignant reminder of the divisions that once defined the region.

Nearby, a small documentation center offers video recordings from contemporary witnesses who recount the painful years when families were separated – some living in the much smaller eastern part of ancient Gorizia or in Nova Gorica.

These testimonies also reveal the deep distrust that grew between alleged fascists and communists during the era of separation.

The border, which was hermetically sealed after its creation, remained in effect until 1955, when an agreement allowed family members limited visitation rights.

But even after the fall of the Iron Curtain and Slovenia’s independence, the physical divide persisted for sixteen years.

It was finally dismantled in 2007, when Slovenia joined the Schengen area, which allows travel without border controls through many European countries, erasing the last physical traces of division in what had been Europe’s last divided city.

When Nova Gorica was officially declared European Capital of Culture for 2025 a few years ago, it marked a historic milestone as the first cross-border cultural capital.

At the time, few could have predicted that political conditions would change dramatically before the celebrations could even begin.

The Italian government led by far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reimposed border controls between Italy and Slovenia in October, a reminder that the vision of unity faces ongoing challenges.