Nova Gorica is a unique city, born of a complex and deeply meaningful history that unfolds along the border between Italy and Slovenia. Rising from the ruins of the Second World War and designed from 1948 onward by architect Edvard Ravnikar, according to the principles of Le Corbusier’s modernist urbanism and Soviet constructivism, Nova Gorica stands as one of the most emblematic examples of a city rebuilt as a political and social manifesto in the postwar era.
In this walk, written and conceived for the Set Discover app by Gianluca Guerra, participants cross the border between Gorizia and Nova Gorica, immersing themselves in an urban and historical context that tells the story of the division imposed by the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty and the era of the Iron Curtain, but also of the city’s present-day power of transformation and reconciliation.
The route unfolds through emblematic places, each carrying its own stories and narratives:
- Piazza Transalpina e la storica Stazione Ferroviaria testimoniano i drammi e le speranze di un confine tracciato tra diversi imperi e ideologie, uno scenario abitato da vicende reali e da produzioni cinematografiche come Tre quarti di sole (1959) e Ekspres, Ekspres (1995).
- The Ruski Bloki, with their functional and symbolic architecture, represent the heart of the first community that emerged in the socialist city, while routes such as Ravnikar’s Magistrala reveal the urban vision that shaped Nova Gorica.
- In the city center, the Slovenian National Theatre, the France Bevk Library, and the Monument to Urban Planning stand as witnesses to the city’s cultural heritage, antifascist resistance, and growing sense of identity, recalled through the works of local filmmakers and writers.
- Contemporary transformation takes shape in the vivid contrast between the city’s austere daytime buildings and the brightly lit Perla Casino, a symbol of the city’s new economic face and the set of the film Raise Your Head (Alza la testa, 2009).
- Finally, the route pays tribute to the pioneers of aviation commemorated by the Monument to the Rusjan Brothers, key figures in the history of world aviation, before concluding with a walk along the former Iron Curtain itself.
This walk weaves together history, cinema, and architecture to tell the story of a city and to reimagine the border not as a barrier, but as a place of shared memory and renewed cultural identity.
