The city of Gorizia The city of Gorizia

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The city of Gorizia
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HOW AND WHERE
02 Small Church of the Holy Spirit
Tourist map and guide to the city
and to its territory
An example of late-Gothic architecture (1398-1414), it was commissioned by the Rabatta brothers, a family from Florence that
were part of the city’s nobility.
Inside, the ribs of the apse create a
pleasant play of lines. It is possible
to make out small shields with the
coats of arms of local noble families. On the top of the apse there
is the Rabatta coat of arms. The
painting of the Assumption above
GORIZIA
The city
of Gorizia
12
the altar is attributed to Domenico
Tintoretto, the son of Jacopo Tintoretto, and can be dated to the beginning of the 17th century.
Info:
Borgo Castello
tel +39 0481 530193
www.cattedrale.arcidiocesi.gorizia.it
[email protected]
05
01 Gorizia’s Castle - Museum of the Middle Ages in Gorizia
The heart and symbol of the city,
with its large bulk the castle dominates Gorizia and the surrounding
territory. The castle can be reached
through the Leopoldina Gate, built
in 1660 in honour of the visit of Emperor Leopold of Habsburg. The
Castle reflects the evolution occurred between the 13th century
and the 16th century with the progressive addition of buildings and
defence structures. The oldest part
coincides with thirteenth-century
Palazzo dei Conti, characterised
by double lancet windows framed
by pink marble. On the other hand,
the Palazzo degli Stati Provinciali
(Palace of the Provincial States), in-
Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia
tended to house, in the large room
on the first floor, the meetings of
the small parliament of Gorizia,
was built in the fifteenth century.
All the rooms are furnished with
vintage furniture coming from the
surrounding territory. The Museum
of the Middle Ages in Gorizia, in the
Sala dei Cavalieri (Knights’ Room),
displays interesting craft reproductions of the side arms used in the
Medieval period. The Sala della
Musica (Music Room) houses perfect reproductions of ancient instruments, whose melodies can be
listened to thanks to modern technologies. Some rooms of the Castle periodically stage exhibitions,
03 The Provincial Museums of Borgo Castello
whereas the barn permanently
houses an educational section with
panels and plastic models concerning the County of Gorizia. From
the allure one can enjoy the view
over the city of Gorizia and over the
territories of the near Slovenia.
Info: Gorizia’s Castle - Museum of
the Middle Ages in Gorizia
Borgo Castello, 36
tel +39 0481 535146
(Municipality, Cultural Activities
Service, Exhibition Activities Office,
tel +39 0481 383287-297).
Closed on Mondays - Entry fee
www.comune.gorizia.it
e-mail: [email protected]
The city of Gorizia
Founded in 1861, the museums
were moved to Borgo Castello
in 1990, in the basements of sixteenth-century Casa Dornberg
and Casa Tasso. The current First
World War Museum is a clear
and effective representation of
the 1915-1918 war events, it tells
these important historical events
and provides a survey of the hard
everyday life of a soldier on the
frontline. Inside it you will find
the reproduction of a trench with
an Italian military post and an installation of the Austro-Hungarian
army. On the ground floor of Casa
Tasso, three rooms house the Archaeological Collection, which
comprises finds from Gorizia’s
historical territory. It includes documents of the cultural and social
evolution of the peoples that lived
in Gorizia and in the valley of the
Isonzo from the prehistoric period
until the Medieval and the Renaissance ages. The first floor of Casa
Dormberg and Casa Tasso houses
the Museum of Fashion and Applied Arts, which comprises some
sections dedicated to silk weaving,
where a large eighteenth-century
circular throwing machine stands
out, still in working order and
unique of its kind: a rich collection,
which ranges from the eighteenth
to the twentieth century, of silk
dresses enriched by pillow lace.
The art of bobbin lace, imported at
the end of the 17th century by two
Ursoline mothers, is still carried
out at Gorizia’s lace school. The
museum’s path winds among en-
13
vironments referring to handicraft
activities related to clothing, such
as those of the shoemaker and of
the hat maker, who moulded important items of clothing on their
wooden shapes. The Picture Gallery, at Casa Formentini, is rich in
painting and sculpture works from
the sixteenth century onwards and
of collections of works of the nineteenth century by the best artists
from the Venezia Giulia area. In
the basements, that can be visited
upon request, familiar environments and craft shops are reproduced.
Info: Borgo Castello, 13
tel +39 0481 533926 / 530382
Closed on Mondays- Entry fee.
www.provincia.gorizia.it/rete-musei
[email protected]
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The city of Gorizia
AUSTRIA
AUSTRIA
Arta Terme
A23
Tolmezzo
Gemona
del Friuli
Piancavallo
SLOVENIA
Europa
Cividale
del Friuli
San Daniele
del Friuli
Regione
Friuli Venezia Giulia
UDINE
PORDENONE
Palmanova
A28
SLOVENIA
Italia
GORIZIA
A4
TREVISO
Aeroporto FVG
Ronchi dei Legonari
A4
Aquileia
VENEZIA
Lignano
Sabbiadoro
Grado
TRIESTE
SLOVENIA
HOW TO GET THERE
By car
Motorways
A4 Torino - Trieste
A23 Palmanova - Udine - Tarvisio
A28 Portogruaro - Conegliano
04 Palazzo Attems Petzenstein
06 St. Ignatius Church
The palace was built in the first half
of the eighteenth century by the noble Attems family according to the
project by architect Nicolò Pacasso
and today is his best-preserved
work in Gorizia. From an aesthetic
point of view, the historic building is
a remarkable example of a mix between the Baroque and the Rococo
styles. The palace, recently renovated, houses the Provincial museums
and stages important exhibitions.
Info: piazza De Amicis, 2
tel + 39 0481 547541
Closed on Mondays, admission fee.
www.provincia.gorizia.it/rete-musei
[email protected]
The Church, with its façade overlooking Piazza Vittoria, in Baroque style (1654-1747), was built by
the Jesuits. The imposing exterior is characterised by two bell towers that end with characteristic “onions” present in many churches of northern Europe. The interior consists of a single nave,
onto which three chapels, containing rich Baroque
altars, open on both sides. The altar by Venetian
sculptor Lazzarini (1716) and the eighteenth-century fresco of the pulpit “the glory of St. Ignatius”
painted by Tausch, who also designed the Church
itself, are remarkable. The furniture of the sacristy, the confessionals and the pews date back to the
eighteenth century.
Tarvisio
By plane
Regional Airport of Trieste
40 km from Trieste and Udine
15 km from Gorizia
80 km from Pordenone
www.aeroporto.fvg.it
By train
www.trenitalia.it
Call Centre 89.20.21
Design and Creation: Five Zone Udine _ Cartography Tarabocchia _ Printing: La Tipografica - Basaldella _ English edition printed in march 2011
Texts by Info Point Gorizia_ Translation by: D’Agostini Organizzazione Dipartimento linguistico Dagoservice _ Photographs: Archivio Turismo FVG, P. Bumbaca, G. Kirchmayr, M. Milani, M. Viola.
TOURIST INFORMATION
AGENZIA TURISMOFVG
Villa Chiozza - Via Carso, 3
I - 33052 Cervignano del Friuli (UD)
tel +39 0431 387111 / fax +39 0431 387199
[email protected]
Discovery Card
INFOPOINT TURISMOFVG di GORIZIA
corso Italia, 9 - 34170 Gorizia
tel +39 0481 535764 / fax +39 0481 539294
[email protected]
05 Museum Synagogue Gerusalemme sull’Isonzo
The Synagogue (1756) is situated
in the old Jewish ghetto in via Ascoli, the continuation of the city’s
main avenue.
The street, dedicated to famous
Jewish glottologist Graziadio Isaia
Ascoli from Gorizia, is overlooked
by multi-storey houses with magnificent wrought-iron balconies.
The splendid eighteenth-century wrought-iron gate (photo),
adorned with floral motifs and
swags, which originally blocked
access to the ghetto, today is located next to the Synagogue.
The façade with a double arched
entrance has an ornamental rosewindow and is surmounted by the
Tablets of the Law.
The ground floor of the building houses the “Gerusalemme
sull’Isonzo”
museum,
which
presents the history of Judaism in Gorizia over the centuries,
equipped by computer stations
and panels. Gorizia’s Jewish community has provided the city with
famous personalities, such as:
Ascoli, Music and Bolaffio, Michelstaedter. On the first floor, which
maintains an eighteenth-century
look with original marble, decorations and furniture, it is possible to
admire the Women’s Gallery and
the Ark facing Jerusalem.
Info:
via Ascoli, 19
tel +39 0481 532115
Open on Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 5.00 to 7.00 p.m.
and on the second Sunday of each
month from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
For information Mr. Bulfoni
tel +39 0481 33226
A MEETING OF CULTURES
Gorizia, mentioned for the first time in a document of 1001, due to its geographical position has always
been culturally influenced by the meeting of the Latin, Slavic and Germanic cultures.
Starting from 1117, and for four centuries, the Castle was the residence of the Counts of Gorizia,
whose rule stretched from Tirol and Carinthia to the Treviso area, as far as the Croatian borders.
Afterwards, it was ruled by the Habsburgs under whose jurisdiction it remained until the end of the First
World War, except for some short periods of Napoleonic and Venetian rule.
The city was subject to significant changes in recent times too, when, after the 1947 peace treaty,
the territory was divided: for many years Gorizia and Nova Gorica remained separated by a small wall along
the border.
Isonzo Park
Gorizia’s Castle
Railway Bridge
St. Ignatius Church
Gorizia’s Town Hall
The city of Gorizia
10 Palazzo Della Torre
voke the protection of the castle, is
a work by Tominz, a 19th-century
portraitist of Gorizia and Trieste’s
middle class. Inside it, the vestibule of the sacristy houses the
fifteenth-century chapel of St.
Acacius. The Gothic vault features
elegant frescoed musician angels,
while the four evangelists are depicted on the dome.
Info: Corte Sant’Ilario
tel +39 0481 530193
www.cattedrale.arcidiocesi.gorizia.it
[email protected]
The building, originally known as
Palazzo del Monte di Pietà (Pawnshop), was commissioned by the
first archbishop of Gorizia Carlo
Michele d’Attems (1753). It was
built in order to regulate the credit
and protect Gorizia’s citizens from
the increasing phenomenon of
usury. After its closure in 1829, it
was soon re-opened thanks to the
intervention of Count Giuseppe
Della Torre. Today the building
11 Ossuary of Oslavia
houses the Fondazione Cassa di
Risparmio di Gorizia, it is a stateof-the-art conference centre and
stages prestigious exhibitions.
Info:
via Carducci, 2 - Gorizia
tel +39 0481 537111
fax +39 0481 534354
www.fondazionecarigo.it
e-mail: [email protected]
12 Piazza Transalpina
09 Piazza Cavour - Piazza Sant’Antonio
At the beginning of the 15th century
the first noble residences outside
Borgo Castello were built in Piazza
Cavour, in what was called “platea
nobilium”. Piazza S. Antonio is overlooked by two important palaces.
Fourteenth-century Palazzo Lantieri, (Piazza S. Antonio, 6 - tel.
+39 0481 533284 - Cell +39 340
9103161) a private house that can
be visited on request, was one of
the gates of the walls of the lower
Gorizia, aerial view
Built in the 17th century, it was chosen by the Jesuits as
a cultural centre in order to found the seminary.
The rich staircase, which represents one of the most
valuable works of Gorizia’s Baroque art, was completed
in 1704. In the middle of the eighteenth century it was
enlarged with a parlour, a pharmacy and an infirmary.
A secondary school (“Liceo”) specializing in classical
studies in the nineteenth century (Imperiale Regio Ginnasio Superiore), today it houses the Isontina State Library, where exhibitions and events are organized.
The city of Gorizia
08 Cathedral
The city of Gorizia
07 Palazzo Werdenberg
Info:
via Mameli, 12
tel +39 0481 580211
www.isontina.librari.beniculturali.it
[email protected]
The city of Gorizia
Dedicated to Patron Saints Hilary
and Taziano, with three Baroque
naves, it preserves the tombstone
of the last Count of Gorizia Leonardo, who died in Lienz in 1500.
The event marked the end of the
county of Gorizia and the passage
of the city to the powerful Habsburg House. The high altar, the
side altars and the pulpit of the
early eighteenth-century are very
precious. The altarpiece, depicting the Madonna and St. Hilary,
St. Taziano and St. Charles that in-
Neptune Fountain
The fountain, situated in Piazza Vittoria, provides
evidence of the skills of architect Nicolò Pacassi
and was made by sculptor Chiereghin from Padua in 1756. Among other things, Nicolò Pacassi’s
name is linked to the works of Vienna’s Schönbrunn castle and to the Augustinerkirche.
Info:
piazza Vittoria, tel +39 0481 535106
city. Formerly known as Schönhaus Castle, richly frescoed inside,
it witnessed important events of
Gorizia.
Palazzo Strassoldo (Hotel Entourage - Piazza S. Antonio, 2 - tel.
+39 0481 550235) from the name
of one of the most ancient families
of Gorizia’s aristocracy, features
a remarkable eighteenth-century
façade. Today a hotel, the Bourbons lived there from 1836. Thrown
out of France in the period of the
French revolution (1830), they
took refuge in Gorizia as guests of
Count Coronini. Now the last descendants of the French Bourbon
dynasty, as well as the last French
King Charles X, rest in the crypts
in the Monastery of Castagnavizza
today Kostanjevica in Slovenia.
(Šcrabceva
ulica,1 p.p. 303
ˇ
Nova Gorica tel +386 5 330 7750
www.samostan-kostanjevica.si
[email protected])
“The last boundary of Eastern Europe”: this is how the boundary that
divided Piazza Transalpina in two has been called for years. Now the
boundary joins: one can walk freely and be with one foot in Italy and with
the other foot in Slovenia at the same time.
On the edges of the square one can still see the low stone wall with the
wire net and the white marble boundary stone n. 57/15, which until 2004
marked the borderline. The mosaic on the floor, made on the occasion
of the admission of Slovenia to the European Union, features the same
number as the boundary stone.
In the Slovenian territory there is the old Transalpine railway station
(1906), wanted by Maria Theresa, being part of the railway lines that
linked Austria to Trieste, its access to the sea.
Situated between the towns of
Piuma and Oslavia, the monument
was erected in 1938 according
to the project of architect Ghino
Venturini. From the large square
opposite it, where a stone commemorates the 55 volunteers from
Venezia Giulia who died on the battle fields of Medio and Alto Isonzo,
a flight of steps leads to a triangular flat area where you will find
the central tower and three side
towers connected by underground
tunnels. A big black marble cross
stands at the centre of the main
tower: 13 officials awarded with
the Golden Medal for Military Value
are buried at its foot. The imposing Ossuary contains the mortal
remains of 57,201 Italian soldiers,
most of whom are unknown, and
of 539 Austro-Hungarian soldiers
(only 138 of whom were identified).
The remains of the dead soldiers
identified are walled in the central
tower and along the side walls.
The unknown soldiers are buried
in three common graves situated
among the side towers.
Info:
town of Oslavia / tel +39 0481 531788
Closed on Mondays
13 Palazzo Coronini Cronberg
An exceptional example of Gorizia’s aristocratic residence is
Palazzo Coronini Cronberg (Viale
XX Settembre). Surrounded by a
magnificent English-style park of
nearly five hectares, the palace,
built in 1594 on the Grafenberg
hill, belonged first to the Strassoldo family and then, in the past
two centuries, to the Coronini
counts. It was transformed into a
museum-house in 1990, the year
of the death of Guglielmo Coronini,
the last descendant of the family,
according to whose will the house
could be available to the public by
setting up a private foundation that
today manages the large historical
and artistic heritage of the family.
A long access avenue leads to the
palace, characterized by an archway supported by four Aquileia
diorite columns next to which a
double 17th-century open gallery stands. The palace comprises
about thirty rooms, fifteen of which
can be visited and feature original
furniture. Among them there is
Charles X’s room, where the last
king of France died in exile in 1836.
The rich picture gallery includes
works from the 16th century to the
20th century by artists such as Tiziano, Rubens, Magnasco, Carriera,
Vigée Le Brun, Prospero and Lavinia Fontana, Cignaroli. The ground
floor houses rooms with sixteenthcentury and seventeenth-century
furniture, whereas on the first floor
one can visit sumptuous eighteenth-century sitting rooms, Imperial rooms and nineteenth-century
rooms. The furniture is completed
by rich art collections among which
silverware, porcelain, glassware
and crystalware, carpets, paintings,
miniatures, fans, coins, weapons,
drawings and prints, that make the
palace one of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s
most important cultural locations.
Info:
viale XX Settembre,14
tel +39 0481 533485
www.coronini.it
e-mail: [email protected]
Closed on Mondays
The city of Gorizia and its surroundings
Gorizia and its territory
On Friuli Venezia Giulia’s eastern border, between Gorizia and Grado, between Friuli’s plain and Slovenia,
there is a small area rich in historical and artistic memories and in natural environments.
An ideal place for sports enthusiasts, a paradise for gourmets but also for those who simply want to spend
a holiday in nature, far from noise, where everything is people-oriented. You will find all the richness of
these lands in just a few kilometres.
Typical
products
from Gorizia
First of all you will find the gentle Collio hills, a pleasant area bounded by the course of the Isonzo river to
the east, by the Judrio river to the west and overlooked by the Julian Alps to the north. Characterized by
a mild climate and by soils suitable for the cultivation of fruit trees and of grapevine, the Collio is famous
all over the world as an exceptionally valuable wine production area, the heart of which is represented by
Cormòns.
Not less important is the D.O.C. (Denomination of Controlled Area) Isonzo wine production area, including
Gradisca d’Isonzo, which is the location of one of Italy’s first Regional wineries. Then you will experience the
charming atmospheres of the lagoon, formed due to the slow, but continuous raising of the sea level and
to the consistent fluvial deposits that have given rise to several islets. On them you will see the “casoni”,
typical reed and straw huts, which were once used by fishermen.
The lagoon also preserves the precious treasures of Grado, whose old town centre features monuments of
exceptional interest. Aquileia, once an imposing river port, defined as the heart and the historic crossroads
of Roman and Christian Europe. Inside the Basilica, you will have the chance to admire one of the most
extraordinary floor mosaic complexes in the world.
Gorizia is the natural chief city of
an area extremely rich as far as
food and wine are concerned: the
wines of the D.O.C. (Denomination of Controlled Origin) areas of
its province, Collio, Isonzo, Carso,
are some of the best in the world,
while its cuisine is the perfect synthesis of three different traditions:
Friulian, Slovenian and Austrian.
A happy land, as far as agricultural products are concerned, which
from Gorizia to Cormòns, from
Gradisca d’Isonzo to Grado find the
humus suitable to grow the best
fruit and vegetables.
Some entrepreneurs of the sector,
who work successfully in the food
and wine industry, in collaboration
with the Municipality of Gorizia,
have given life to the Commit-
Nearby, the harsh nature of the Karst, marked by the evidence of the fights that took place here during the
First World War.
Finally, the plain is scattered with tidy towns and by small rural villages, that today still tell of the hard
relationship of the people with their own land, cultivated and reclaimed in a careful balance between human
intervention and the environment. It is furrowed by the waters of the Isonzo, a river that represents the
most authentic link between the different ethnic groups that for centuries have been living together in the
province of Gorizia and that, within a hundred kilometres, links the mountains to the Adriatic Sea, providing
breathtaking views from its banks; in an ever-changing scenery, the exceptional light blue-turquoise colour
of its very clear waters is really astonishing.
On the Collio on a Vespa scooter
Collio Vineyards
Redipuglia Memorial
It gathers over a hundred thousand fallen of the First
World War and is Italy’s largest military memorial.
Walking up the imposing flight of steps made of white
Karst stone, by architect Giovanni Greppi and sculptor
Giannino Castiglioni, it is possible to start an itinerary among trenches and historical memories. On the
Sant’Elia Hill, stones with epigraphs remind us of the
first war cemetery dedicated to the “Invitti della Terza Armata” (Undefeated of the Third Army), opened
on 24th May 1923 and later transformed into “Parco
della Rimembranza” (Park of Remembrance). Nearby
you will also find the “Casa Terza Armata” First World
War Museum and, at less than 1 km towards Sagrado,
the Austro-Hungarian cemetery (over 14000 fallen).
The places
of the First
World War
ues beyond the present border with Slovenia and the
Isonzo river - becomes one of the most sanguinary
fronts of the First World War.
In particular, the portion of territory that comprises
the Province of Gorizia, the Bassa Friulana area,
Grado and Aquileia, stages the first six battles on
the Isonzo. Today in these places, where the soldiers
of both armies faced one another, the signs of this
conflict are still present and visible. Over the years,
thanks to the various works of restoration and maintenance of these sites, various open-air museums
have been born in this territory. Visitors can “experience” what the soldiers felt, living and dying in the
trenches. The open-air museums, together with the
traditional museums and monuments, help understand this period of history.
Info:
Direction: Redipuglia Military Memorial
via III Armata - Fogliano di Redipuglia
tel +39 0481 489024
San Martino del Carso
The town of San Martino del Carso, the Valloncello
dell’Albero Isolato (Valley of the Isolated Tree), the Stone
of the 4th Honved, the Frasche Trench, the Filippo Corridoni stone and the Ungaretti Park in the Castelvecchio
wine farm are immersed in the quiet of the Karst, but
still provide evidence of a past in which men from various countries had to fight one another. At the centre of
the town, you will find a memorial tablet featuring the
lines of the poem “San Martino del Carso” by Giuseppe
Ungaretti and a small private First World War museum.
Info: Gruppo Speleologico Carsico
via Zona Sacra San Martino del Carso (Go)
tel +39 340 5581378
www.museosanmartinodelcarso.it
The places of the First World War
Open-air
Museum of Mount San Michele
The four-peaked mount, the main
Austro-Hungarian bulwark on the
Isonzo Karst, which staged the
first gas attack on the Italian front
(29th June 1916), was harshly disputed until its capitulation in August of 1916, becoming in its turn
an important Italian defence site.
A Monumental zone since 1922,
today it preserves several interesting elements; among them,
the Cave of General Lukachich,
the Schönburg Tunnel and the
Gun Tunnel of the Third Army can
be partially visited. The wide balcony of the large square opposite
the museum provides a wonderful
view over Gorizia’s plain and over
the summits of the Julian Alps.
Info:
Museum of Mount San Michele
via Zona Sacra S. Martino
del Carso / tel +39 0481 92002
Paths of Peace
I.A.T. Fogliano Redipuglia
via III Armata, 54
Fogliano Redipuglia
tel/fax + 39 0481 489139
www.prolocofoglianoredipuglia.it [email protected]
The typical radicchio from Gorizia
comes in two varieties: “Canarino”
and “Rosa di Gorizia”. The Canarino has canary-yellow shades,
whereas the “Rosa di Gorizia” is
deep red in colour with pinkish
variegations. The “Rosa di Gorizia”
has an intense taste, it is slightly
bitter and crunchy. The “Canarino”, on the other hand, is sweeter,
very delicate but crunchy.
Info:
Municipality of Gorizia
piazza Municipio, 1 - 34170 Gorizia
tel +39 0481 383339
www.comune.gorizia.it
Wine ageing cellars
The places of the First World War
When the First World War breaks out on 28th June
1914, the Friuli Venezia Giulia region is divided between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. The borders created by the 1886 peace
between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire divide this region; Udine, Cividale and Palmanova become part of the Kingdom of Italy whereas
the whole south-eastern part of Friuli remains under
the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Italy, neutral for almost a year, on 24th May 1915 declares its
state of belligerence on the side of the armies of the
Triple Entente. After the “first offensive attack”, Friuli
becomes a battlefield; the part of the plain comprised
between the Isonzo river and the Karst hills, also
called “agro monfalconese” - together with the Karst
area that extends from Trieste to Gorizia and contin-
tee for the promotion of Gorizia’s
Typical Products. The best place
to understand the variety and the
freshness of the agricultural products of the province of Gorizia is
the indoor market of Corso Verdi
Via Boccaccio, a real wonder for
gourmets.
Among the typical dishes from
Gorizia, “musetto e brovada” (a
kind of sausage with cooked turnips that were preserved in marc),
accompanied by grated white turnips, the “uardi and fasui” barley
and bean soup, potato gnocchi
with dried plums, the typical goulash, herb omelettes and dishes
based on local game meat. Among
the typical sweets the strudel,
Gorizia’s putizza and the honey
from Gorizia.
Monfalcone’s First World War
Theme Park
The theme park comprises three
main areas (I - height 121 of “Pietrarossa”; Trench of the Selletta
- height 85 “Enrico Toti”; III - Joffre Trench and Vergine cave), each
with its own specificity, marked by
clear signs, linked to one another
by a good network of forest paths.
Opened in 2005, it comprises part
of the Karst hills above Monfalcone, in particular the heights 121
and 85 that, with the close height
77, represented the bulwarks of
the Austro-Hungarian advanced
defence on the low Karst until August of 1916 (the first two) and May
of 1917 (the third). For this reason
they were disputed, conquered and
lost repeatedly, forcing the thousands of men fighting in this part
of frontline to make big sacrifices.
Info:
I.A.T. Monfalcone
Palazzetto Veneto
via Sant’Ambrogio, 12
34074 Monfalcone
tel +39 0481 494229
[email protected]
Gruppo Speleologico
Monfalconese “Amici del Fante”
via Valentinis 134,
34074 Monfalcone (Go)
tel/fax +39 0481 40014
Paths of Peace
I.A.T. Fogliano Redipuglia
via III Armata, 54
Fogliano Redipuglia
tel/fax +39 0481 489139
www.prolocofoglianoredipuglia.it [email protected]
Gorizia and the Isonzo area
Gorizia
and the
Isonzo area
Paths of Peace
I.A.T. Fogliano Redipuglia
(point of reference for the open-air museum)
via III Armata, 54 - Fogliano Redipuglia
tel / fax + 39 0481 489139
www.prolocofoglianoredipuglia.it
[email protected]
“Comprensorio difensivo della Dolina
del XV Bersaglieri” Open-air Museum
Near the Redipuglia Memorial is Mount Sei Busi with
its large open-air museum called “Comprensorio
difensivo della Dolina del XV Bersaglieri”.
The Dolina still features the remains of a military
hospital and a common grave marked by a precious
inscription of that period. Following the restored
original communication trenches, one reaches the
reinforced-concrete fortified line of Mount Sei Busi,
whose battlefield shows how anomalous the war on
the Karst was: the distance between the opposite
trenches was so short that the soldiers may have hit
each other by throwing stones.
The setting off and the tourist promotion of Gorizia and of its rich and varied territory, including the Collio, Karst and Isonzo
areas, are entrusted to the “Consorzio Touristico Gorizia e Isontino” Tourism Consortium, which organizes package holidays, offers and guided tours on the territory. Hereinafter, we will mention the most interesting towns.
“Gorizia e l’Isontino” Consortium Corso Italia, 55 - 34170 Gorizia / T +39 345 5782860 / www.gois.it / [email protected]
GRADISCA D’ISONZO
Of prehistoric origin, the elegant
town acquired importance with
the construction of the fortress
on the Isonzo (1400), built by the
Venetians as a bulwark against the
Turkish raids. Leonardo da Vinci,
too, took part in the work.
From 1511 to 1918, except for a
short period of Napoleonic rule,
it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. A large green field,
bounded by big horsechestnuts, is
located at the centre of the town.
Of the four parallel streets, called
“rughe”, via Ciotti is for pedestrians only. The important street
joins the promenade along the
walls that follows the course of
the Isonzo.
The castle (middle of the 16th
century), inside which the Palazzo
del Capitano was built, was transformed by the Austrians into a
prison where outstanding personalities of the Italian Risorgimento
were locked up. Since 2009 Gradisca d’Isonzo has been part of
the club of “Italy’s most beautiful
towns” (www.borghitalia.it)
“Luigi Spazzapan”
Gallery of Contemporary Art
Founded in 1976, the gallery is a
prestigious institution that aims
at promoting contemporary art by
artists from the region and other
places. The gallery is housed in
the right wing of Palazzo Torriani, the Town Hall, and extends
on three floors. On the first floor
there is the permanent collection
featuring the works by painter
Luigi Spazzapan. The second floor
stages temporary painting, sculpture and photography exhibitions.
On the top floor you will find the
library, which can be visited on request.
Info:
via Battisti, 1 - tel +39 0481 960816
Town Documentary Museum
The Documentary Museum is a place
of collection, protection and memory of the town’s history. Through the
precious collection of stone fragments, glass vases, blades corroded
by time, Medieval and Renaissance
weapons, coins, seventeenth-eighteenth century canvases, Baroque
frescoes (that adorned the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul) it is
possible to go through the history of
Gradisca d’Isonzo and of its territory,
from the first evidence of an organized community in the Medieval and
Roman ages, to the building of the
fortress by the Republic of Venice,
up to the raising to Prince County,
period in which it went through its
maximum economic, political, civil
and artistic splendour.
Info:
Palazzo Torriani - via Ciotti, 49
tel +39 0481 967911
fax +39 0481 960622
www.comune.gradisca-d-isonzo.go.it
The places of the First World War
Open-air
Museum of Mount Calvario
This open-air museum, that goes
through the war events of Gorizia’s
plain, extends across the battle
trenches, which are still visible,
where, in a period of peace many
memorial stones and monuments
were erected in remembrance of
the fallen soldiers. During the car
tour across the open-air museum
it will be possible to visit: the ossuary of Oslavia, the Statue of the
Infantryman, the Statue of Enrico
Toti, the “Ragazzi del 99” Viaduct,
the “Aurelio Baruzzi” railway subway, the Obelisk of Mount Calvario, the three Crosses of the Calvario, Scipio Slataper’s Tomb and the
Memorial Stone of the Volunteers
from Venezia Giulia.
Ara Pacis Mundi of Medea
The Ara Pacis Mundi was built in
1951 on the Hill of Medea, where
the observation post of King Vittorio Emanuele III was set up during
the First World War.
The monument, erected according
to the project of architect Mario
Bacciocchi from Milan, looks like
a “large enclosure”, that preserved a sacred altar. To carry out
this concept, Bacciocchi built: on
the east side, 14 close pillars with
a height of 13 metres, on the west
side, an external row of pillars closed as in a wall along the whole
inner side; on the north and south
sides, solid walls with full-height
opening at the centre. “The imposing enclosure”, having a width
of 50 metres and a length of 30
and being visible from the whole
surrounding territory, preserves
a hypogean chamber where the
Altar is situated. This contains an
amphora with: clods of earth of
the 800 national and foreign war
cemeteries in Italy; clods of earth
coming from Africa and Russia;
clods of earth from internment
and extermination camps; small
bottles of sea water taken in the
points of the Mediterranean, of the
Tyrrhenian, of the Adriatic and of
the Ionian Sea where ships of different countries were sunk.
Info:
Municipality of Medea
via Torriani, 5 Medea
tel +39 0481 67012
www.ara-pacis.it [email protected]
Palazzo Locatelli (18th cent.)
Palazzo Locatelli, the Town Hall,
dominates with its harmonious
façade Piazza XXIV Maggio, the
town’s “sitting room”. On the side
of the square there is the “Lanciasassi” statue by sculptor Canciani. It is an elegant residence in
Palladian style that, besides housing the Town Hall, includes the
Wine Shop. The Sala Civica (Civic
Room) and the Municipal Museum
of the Territory can be accessed
through the gardens of the Town
Hall. The museum houses an area
dedicated to contemporary art and
displays works by sculptor A. Canciani (1863-1955), an outstanding
artist of the Viennese secession.
A second section of the museum
is dedicated to the discovery of the
historical, cultural and artistic aspects of the municipal territory and
of the Collio wine production area.
Info:
piazza XXIV Maggio, 21
tel +39 0481 637110
fax +39 0481 637112
[email protected]
Cathedral of Sant’Adalberto
and Cjase da Plef Antiche
(Visits by reservation only)
The entrance of the Cathedral
can be reached after walking up
a scenographic flight of steps,
which provides the main church of
Cormòns with magnificence and
imposingness. Built between 1736
and 1770 in the heart of the medieval town, it is a typical eighteenthcentury building. The painted representations of St. Anthony Abbot
and St. Valentine, as well as of the
Trinity that crowns the Virgin, are
by Tominz (1790-1866). Next to the
Cathedral of Sant’Adalberto you
will find the Cjase da Plef Antiche,
an old farmhouse that preserves
vestments, wooden sculptures,
canvases and several objects that
testify popular piety.
TOWN OF MONFALCONE
An important shipbuilding location, it features the Fortress that,
situated on the town’s hills, dominates the town. The first settlements date back to the civilization
of the castellieri (fortified boroughs). The Roman thermal baths
of Monfalcone, which exploited an
underground hot thermal water
spring, were appreciated in the
Roman age. Over the centuries the
thermal complex has undergone
various transformations remaining in operation until the Second
World War broke out.
Museum of the Fortress
of Monfalcone
The museum of the Fortress of
Monfalcone is a popular scientific
institute managed on a voluntary
basis. The speleological section of
Gorizia’s
First World War Museum
Borgo Castello - Gorizia
tel +39 0481 533926
Closed on Mondays
www.provincia.gorizia.it
General warnings
In principle, the tours in the various open-air museums must
never be carried out on one’s own;
moreover it is not advisable to
venture into the caves or into the
natural cavities if you are not accompanied by speleologists or by
people who know the places and,
above all, without a valid lighting
source. In summer or in the hot
periods try to avoid sunny or stony
areas due to the possible presence
of vipers.
is possible to do various sports in
nature, such as kayaking and canoeing on the Isonzo. The wood,
in which one can go for walks with
various levels of difficulty, comprises several areas equipped for
picnics and barbecues.
Places
of natural
interest
Coronini Park
viale XX Settembre, 14
tel +39 0481 533485
The Coronini Park extends over a
surface of nearly 5 hectares behind the ancient Borgo Piazzutta,
in Gorizia’s city centre. The 18thcentury stone portal introduces
visitors to the wide avenue bordered by thick, age-old evergreen
vegetation and by scenographic
hedges. Born as an Italian-style
square-plan garden, during the
second half of the nineteenth century it was re-designed by count
Alfredo Coronini Cronberg, who
transformed it into a “landscape”
garden, a set of free, asymmetrical and apparently natural shapes,
placed on various levels, in which
by tags. Accessible through paths,
flights of steps and wooden footbridges, the garden is admission
free in the months in which its colours can be enjoyed at their best:
from the beginning of magnolia
blooming to rose blooming.
Viatori Park
via Forte del Bosco, 24
34170 Gorizia
tel+39 0481 22636
(by appointment only)
the various botanical species and
the architectural elements create
a sequence of fascinating glimpses and picturesque views. Seventeenth-century statues, panoramic terraces, fountains, arbours,
flights of steps, sheets of water
and a small temple, arranged
wisely, provide paths designed like
real scenographies. The choice of
the botanical species is peculiar
as well: evergreen plants typical of
the Mediterranean areas (myrtle,
cork-tree, holm oak, agave, cedar
of Lebanon) but also some typical
of Central-Balkan Europe (Norway
spruce, ash, linden), of Asia and
of America (Himalayan cedar and
Arizona cypress). Re-designed on
the wake of an ambitious project of
urban redevelopment that aimed
at proposing Gorizia as a climatic
centre able to attract wealthy visitors from the inner regions of the
Habsburg Empire, the Coronini
Park was visited by numerous illustrious guests, among whom
Charles X, the last king of France
who died at Palazzo Coronini in
1836, and archduke Ludwig Victor
of Habsburg. The park is open to
the public with free admission.
Piuma-Isonzo Park
Regional Board of Friuli Venezia
Giulia’s Forests
via Mazzini, 41 - 33100 Udine
tel +39 0432 294711
It extends over 32 hectares available to the public, at the foot of
Mount Calvario, where there are
woodlands with a prevalence of
chestnuts, oaks and Downy Oaks,
wild cherry trees and ash trees,
to the Isonzo riverbank, which is
characterised by black and grey alder, black poplar and willow trees.
The alternation of small shores
and rocky spurs, which can be admired from the panoramic terrace
overlooking the river, opposite the
entrance of the park’s river part,
is extremely fascinating. Here it
Also known as the “garden of azaleas” of professor Luciano Viatori,
it extends over an area of 2.5 hectares and is situated in Via Forte
del Bosco in the hamlet of Piuma
(Pevma), next to the Piuma Isonzo
Park. The owner, a keen gardener,
has gathered by now five hundred
varieties of azaleas with a prevalence of the Azalea Japonica, 150
varieties of rhododendrons coming from all over the world, over
300 types of ancient and modern
rare roses, 50 varieties of camellias, 120 of magnolias, most of
which come from the collections
Lord Peter Smithers and Van Veen
of Lugano. A wide selection of
Spiraeas, as well as several other
necessary “side” species, complete the different pictures that a
gardener’s imagination, culture,
technique and passion have created with simple flower petals.
The garden was born out of a challenge to Gorizia’s climate (considered unsuitable for growing azaleas, because it is characterised
by too hot summers and too cold
winters), won with perseverance
and ability improving the soil and
creating an artificial pond. All the
plants are classified and indicated
The Collio area
The Collio is a large hilly area situated in the extreme part of Friuli’s
plain, bounded to the east by the
course of the Isonzo river, to the
west by the Judrio river and to the
north by the Julian Alps, whose
main town is Cormòns. Characterized by a mild climate and by
soils especially suitable for fruit
tree and vine growing, the Collio
is a worldwide famous wine production area that, over the years,
has become a popular and exclusive tourist destination, both owing
to the high quality of its food and
wine offer and to the charm of its
landscape, characterised by kilometres of green hills rich in rows
of vines (and in spring enlivened
by cherry tree blossoming), where
scattered houses and white villages built around pointed bell towers
stand out. An ideal path for discovering the Collio has been existing
for many years: the “Strada del
Vino e delle ciliegie” (Road of wine
and of cherries), which starts from
tel +39 0481 494360
www.galleriamonfalcone.it
[email protected]
the museum consists of a permanent exhibition at the Fortress and
is subdivided into two exhibition
rooms. The lower room displays
a collection of different types of
rock with description tables that
illustrate the orographic zones
and a plastic model representing
an ideal Karst territory. The upper
room documents the vegetation,
the history of speleology, methods
and equipment used by speleologists from the end of the Second
World War until present day. The
paleontology section, on the other
hand, is situated in via Valentinis
in Monfalcone and comprises the
geological-paleontological collections, the geological-paleontological library, various workshops.
Info:
Fortress of Monfalcone
Gruppo Speleo Monfalconese
via Valentinis, 134
tel +39 0481 40014
September - April 10 a.m. - 12
noon /2-5 p.m.
May - July 10 a.m. - 12 noon/4-7 p.m.
Admission free
[email protected]
www.museomonfalcone.it
Museum of documentation
of Friuli’s rural civilization
of Colmello di Grotta
The museum is situated in the
eighteenth-century village of Colmello di Grotta, which maintains
unchanged its aspect of closedcourtyard rural settlement, once
inhabited by families of sharecroppers and farm labourers who
abandoned it at the end of the Sixties. The museum displays many
objects, handmade items and
documents of the whole provincial territory of the period between
the end of the eighteenth century
and the first half of the twentieth
century. It aims at reproposing the
evolution of the local rural civilization and the influence it had on the
territory.
Info:
via Strada della Grotta, 8
34072 Farra d’Isonzo
tel +39 0481 888567
fax +39 0481 888609
[email protected]
Municipal Gallery
of Contemporary Art
Opening times change depending
on the exhibitions. The Gallery is
located at the centre of Monfalcone
near the restored building of the
old indoor market. The upper floor
of the Gallery is entirely dedicated
to Tranquillo Marangoni, a famous
xylographer who lived and worked
in Monfalcone: 1800 pieces (engravings, drawings, watercolours,
photos) by him are on display.
Info: piazza Cavour, 44
tel +39 0481 46262
Ford Museum
Leaving the city of Gorizia in the direction of Gradisca d’Isonzo, along
the road of the Mainizza, you will
find an original collection, dedicated to Henry Ford: the Ford Gratton
Museum. Here Paolo Gratton set
up the first and only Ford museum
existing in Europe.
The façade of the museum reproposes that of the first Italian
branch of the “Ford Motor Company”, set up in Trieste in 1923,
where the Model T Fords and the
Fordson tractors, which were de-
Places of natural interest
Info:
Ossuary of Oslavia
town of Oslavia - Gorizia
tel +39 0481 531788
Closed on Mondays
Direction: Redipuglia
Military Memorial
via III Armata - Redipuglia
tel +39 0481 489024
fax +39 0481 488120
TOWN OF CORMÒNS
Of Habsburg style, after the foundation of Aquileia (181 B.C.) the
town of Celtic origin passed under
the rule of Rome. A Patriarchal
see during the Schism of the Three
Chapters (between the 6th and the
8th century), in 1497 it became part
of the Habsburg Empire. The armistice between Austria and Italy
of which, from that date, the town
was finally part, was stipulated
in Cormòns on 12th August 1866.
Overlooked by Mount Quarin, its
economy is mainly based on tourism and on the production of local
food and wine products.
Gorizia and the Isonzo area
livered by sea partially assembled,
were completed.
It is possible to visit the reproduction of the first car assembly line,
which changed production and still
represents a very important social
phenomenon.
It is possible to see the reproduction from the first Marconi radio up
to the current METEOSAT-7 geostationary reception.
Info:
via Gorizia, 150
34072 Farra d’Isonzo
tel and fax +39 0481 520063
[email protected]
Villa Vicentini Miniussi
Built in neoclassical style after
1829 by Giacomo Vicentini, the
complex also includes two buildings in the backyard, the hothouse
and the barchessa (outhouse).
Interesting from the architectural
and artistic point of view are the
frescoes and the external façade
of the villa, which houses the archives of memory, a specialized
library, the library system centre
office, the historical photograph library and the editorial office of the
magazine “Il Territorio”.
Info:
Consorzio culturale Monfalconese
Villa Vicentini Miniussi
piazza Unità d’Italia, 24
34077 Ronchi dei Legionari
tel +39 0481 474298 - 774844
fax +39 0481 474087
[email protected] / www.ccm.it
of the first headquarters of Rijeka: Gabriele D’Annunzio came
here secretly with his officers after
midnight on 11th September 1919,
a few hours before the departure
for the feat of Rijeka.
Info:
via Roma, 63
34077 Ronchi dei Legionari
tel +39 0481 475480
fax +39 0481 475047
www.tenutadiblasig.it
[email protected]
Visits by appointment only
Roman Excavations – Roman Villa
Some structures dating back to
the Roman age were discovered
near the airport in 1987.
The excavations carried out in the
following years brought to light
a rustic villa of about 600 square
metres, which stretched even inside the airport of Ronchi.
The villa, whose remains are situated in Via Raparoni, was inhabited
for a rather long period, between
the middle of the 1st century B.C.
and the 3rd century A.D. The archaeological site can be visited
making a request to the Town Library of Ronchi dei Legionari.
Info:
Town Library
Androna Palmada , 1
34077 Ronchi dei Legionari
tel +39 0481 477205
[email protected]
www.comuneronchi.it
Blasig Estate
Founded in 1788, the estate provides evidence of the history and
the events of this land in the past
two hundred years.
In 1919 Villa Blasig was the seat
Places of natural interest
Gorizia and goes up and down the
hills up to the northern boundary
of Dolegna of the Collio, passing
through all the towns and crossing rich vineyards. From the top of
Mount Quarin, near the tower of
Romanesque origin, one can enjoy a beautiful view over the Collio
hills full of vineyards. Some new
charming itineraries have recently
been created: they can be followed
by bicycle or on the famous Collio’s yellow Vespa scooter to discover the charm of this landscape.
Info:
IAT Cormòns
via Giacomo Matteotti, 24
34071 Cormòns
tel +39 0481 639334
[email protected]
Enoteca Cormòns
Palazzo Locatelli
piazza XXIV Maggio, 21
tel +39 0481 630371
[email protected]
Wood of Plessiva
Regional Board of Friuli Venezia
Giulia’s Forests
via Mazzini, 41 - 33100 Udine
tel +39 0432 294711
The wood of Plessiva is located between Cormòns and Dolegna del
Collio. It is entrusted to the protection of the regional forest agency,
to which one can ask for information to carry out a guided tour. It is
rich in oaks, black locust trees and
chestnut trees present since the
Roman age, as well as in durmast
oaks. It is possible to see various
animal species, such as roe deer,
fox, badger, hare, pheasant, hawk,
buzzard. Equipped with a playground made entirely of wood, the
wood of Plessiva can boast several
routes with different levels of difficulty – both uphill and flat – as well
as a lot of equipped picnic areas.
Regional Nature Reserve of the
Lakes of Doberdò and Pietrarossa
The Nature Reserve set up in 1996
extends over a surface of 726 hectares in the municipalities of Doberdò del Lago, Monfalcone and
Ronchi dei Legionari. The main peculiarity of the area are the lakes in
which, above all in the lake of Doberdò, the water level changes significantly on the basis of the periods
of drought or flood. They represent
a rare example of surface hydrography related to Karst phenomena
in Europe. The lakes of Doberdò
and Pietrarossa are both located
in a polje, a flat-bottomed natural
depression, with more or less steep
sides and crossed by groundwater
tables. In these places the flora and
the fauna are much varied thanks
to the presence in the reserve of
damp areas (lakes, grasslands,
woods) as opposed to drier Karst
environments (moorland, scrub)
each with its typical vegetation.
Inside the Nature Reserve, not
far from the town of Doberdò del
Lago (Doberdob), you will find the
“Gradina” Visitor Centre (Doberdò
del Lago, via Vallone n. 32 - Tel.
+39 0481 784111). At the facility it
is possible to visit the historicalnatural museum that, thanks to a
touch-sound path and with the aid
of dioramas and computers, makes
the understanding of Karst phenomena easier and more enthralling. On the other hand, the subjects of Prehistory and of the First
World War are dealt with by means
of original finds.
The Karst
The toponym derives from the
Paleo-Indo-European root Kar,
which means rock and stone. It
refers to hills inhabited since prehistory, and exploited in the past
as areas for grazing and for timber
collection. Today the northern part
is characterised by thick woods,
also thanks to interventions of replanting with black pine, the southern part, more barren, represents
the typical Karst vegetation. Because of the phenomenon of calcareous erosion of the ground, the
subsoil is rich in natural cavities.
At the end of summer the several
elm-leaved sumach bushes take
the yellow and maroon colours, and
those travelling along the “vallone”
road, which from Gorizia leads to
Trieste, can appreciate this natural phenomenon. The production of
wines promoted by the Consorzio
Tutela Vini Doc Collio e Carso (Consortium of Protection of the D.O.C.
- Denomination of Controlled Origin - Wines from the Collio and the
Karst) is renowned.
Info: Casa Dell’agricoltura
via Gramsci 2 - 4, 34071 Cormons
tel +39 0481 630303
fax +39 0481 630660
[email protected]
The Isonzo
The Isonzo river, characterised by
emerald green waters, crosses
that part of territory that is named
Isontino after it. It is bounded to
the north-west by the Collio hills,
to the east by the first rises of
the Karst plateau, to the west by
the Judrio river, which marks the
border with the province of Udine,
and extends southwards as far as
the sea, reaching Grado and its lagoon. Friuli-Isonzo is also one of
Friuli Venezia Giulia’s nine D.O.C.
(Denomination of Controlled Origin) and D.O.C.G. (Denomination of
Controlled and Guaranteed Origin)
wine production areas. Thanks to
the easy use of the territory, lots
of armies passed here, from the
Turks to Napoleon’s army, leaving
an indelible mark. In fine weather
these lands are the destination of
groups of cyclists attracted by the
beauty of the landscape.
Info:
Enoteca Regionale La Serenissima
via Battisti, 30
34072 Gradisca d’Isonzo
tel +39 0481 99598
fax +39 0481 954539
[email protected]