Why is Nova Gorica & Gorizia Capital of Culture so special?

These towns and the area around them have witnessed some of Europe´s most tragic and brutal events of the last century, and at the same time, it is a sign of peace and freedom for the people who can enjoy a borderless Europe as a positive sign for the future. It is the first time two towns in different countries have been declared together as European Capitals of Culture. Here it is only logical because both share a common history without borders.

Photo: The castle of Gorizia: it was for 1000 years the stronghold of the Habsburg empire in this territory. The German presence remained until 1918.

The importance of history
Without knowing the history of these places no one will understand what is going on around this event of two towns as Cultural Capital of Europe.
Gorizia dates back to the early Middle Ages. For 1000 years, Gorizia was a German-speaking county and remained under Habsburg rule until 1920. After 1920 the Germans left and Italian and Slovenian became the dominant languages. Until 1947 Nova Gorica did not even exist because there was no need for a separate name: it was all Gorizia. Then came the division, because the Allied forces had to decide upon a border between Italy and the new state of Yugoslavia. Between 1915 and 1917 the Isonzo Front was the stage of one of the most brutal battles ever seen in Europe, it left hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed. Winemakers around Gorizia and Nova Gorica still find unexploded bombs in their vineyards. This area saw the 1st World War, fascism, the 2d World War, the arrival of Yugoslavia, and the Cold War. And now this area is the origin of such great wines, that can be drunk in many fantastic restaurants where Italian, Austrian, and Slavic influences can also be found in the dishes. The contradiction could not be bigger: today these hills are so beautiful and such a wonderful and peaceful wine territory where some of Europe´s most prestigious white wines are produced.

Photo: at the Europe place (IT: piazza Europa, Slo: Evropske trg) between Nova Gorica and Gorizia. The town Nova Gorica was built after the division in 1947, on the order of Tito.

Wine as a promise for the future
The wine world around Gorizia is a glamorous example of resurrection. A territory that was once destroyed became one of the primadonnas of European wine. The story of Collio and Brda should be one of the most fascinating in the entire wine world: it is a wonderful region that gives such an abundance of wonderful wines! It is a romantic area, picturesque and nobody leaves the area without this romantic feeling of being a miraculous place, such a place that is touched by heaven. But since the border was created in 1947, it was partly Yugoslavia and partly Italia and here the schism started. Italy’s Collio DOC belongs without any doubt to the elite of Italy’s white wines. Since the independence of Slovenia in 1991, also Brda has made a fast development into an area of great prestige. Alas, the promotion has remained partial, and as a result, a large part of the international professional wine world only thinks of it as ‘Italy’ or ‘Slovenia’. It leaves Collio and Brda divided between two states and two legislations with different laws and conditions. This division, especially the legal one, is not easy to change, but what can change is the way the territory is told because here we have one of Europe’s prime and most prestigious wine regions capable of such wonderful wines. Telling the story of Collio and Brda, as part of something that once was one hilly region, then became divided and then became borderless again: this is a great story that needs to be told.

Collio and Brda together represent something captivating and the essence is going beyond the quality of the wine. In a world that tends to become more divided than before, here it can be seen and tasted how the tragic events of a territory can be forgotten by exploiting and drinking the great wines. Drama has become exciting and the great wines of Collio and Brda are increasingly discovered by the most important sommeliers and wine buyers in the world. It is the message of Europe, a message in a bottle. A beautiful and very tasty message because on both sides of the border between Italy and Slovenia some of Europe´s best white wines are produced.

Paul Balke

Photo: The Isonzo river (Soca in Slovenian) is flowing down from the Alps along Nova Gorica and Gorizia towards the Adriatic sea.

Photo: Piazza Vittoria in the old center of Gorizia

Photo: buildings in Nova Gorica. As the town was built after 1947 it shows the typical socialist architecture of that period.