GORIZIA and surrounding places of interest

The History

Nestled in the midsts of green country, in a delightful valley at the foot of the Julian Alps and the Karst, Gorizia, because of its exceptional geographical position as a meeting point of races, has always been a centre of conflicting views, concords, and clashes. The name Gorizia derives from a topographical feature of the place (in Slovene "gorica" names "small mountain"). The name therefore refers to the castle hill on which a prehistoric Castelliere was built and where later a Roman lookout tower was added. The earliest traces of the existence of this terraced settlement surrounding the castle date from the 10th century when the Emperor Otto III granted it to the Conti del Friuli (Counts of Friuli).

From then onwards it belonged to the noble family Eppenstain, whose origins were German. From 1117 the castle was for four centuries the residence of the Conti di Gorizia, a powerful family who in the 13th century succeeded in expanding the territory from the Tyrol and the Carinthia to Trevigiano and even as far as the borders with Croatia. In 1500, when the last member of that family died, Gorizia came into possession of the Hapsburg monarchy to whose fortunes and misfortunes it remained tied, except for a brief period of the Venetian domination and Napoleonic occupation, until the end of World War I when it became Italian. At the end of World War II Gorizia remained Italian but as a result of that disastrous conflict it was forced to submit to the division of the province and the border with ex Yugoslavia running right through the city itself.

Itineraries
Today Gorizia is a town that has been able to maintain the characteristics of a "Garden city" where the public and private gardens are in perfect harmony with the architecture, and where the layout of the streets and the outline of the buildings, the cupolas, and the atmosphere of the cafes all bear witness to the city having Middle-European origins. Strolling through the streets of the town one is reminded of its historic and artistic greatness. The heart of the city is still the castle itself, which can be reached via a steep road flanked with bastions dating back to the 16th century, most of which were rebuilt and restored after being destroyed during World War I. This restoration brought to light the old walls of the 13th century Palazzo dei Conti and the Palazzo degli Stati Provinciali, situated at the eastern part of the castle and built in the 1400s. Descending again towards the old city centre one comes across the small 14th century church of St. Spirito and close by a charming 7th century mansion once belonging to the Conti Formentini and now housing the History of Art Museum.

Museo Provinciale (Regional Museum), where one can admire works of Guardi and Tominz, is to be found in one of the most prestigious and majestic palaces of the city, the Palazzo Attems Petzenstein, constructed to the designs of a very famous 18th century architect, Nicolo Pacassi, who also designed the building which is now the Town Hall. Other notable buildings are the Palazzo Cobenzi, now the archbishop's residence and the 14th century mansion of the Rabatta counts. One of the oldest and the most luxurious palaces is that of the Lantieris, which had been the home of the counts of Gorizia and which had offered hospitality to the popes and emperors. Of the churches, the most important is certainly the baroque church of St. Ignazio, with its scenic facade. It is also worth mentioning the chathedral, the 17th century church of St. Rocco and the church of the Capuchin friars.