Nova Gorica – Gorizia

Gorizia and Nova Gorica, located on the Italian-Slovenian border, are the first locations to win the ECOC (European Capital of Culture) title with a cross-border program. Although the two cities, together with Šempeter-Vrtojba, have been cooperating within the framework of EGTC GO since 2011, they wish to further develop their tourism and cultural ties by obtaining the ECOC title. Under the cultural program series entitled GO! 2025, they are creating an innovative cross-border strategy and a unified communication framework aimed at promoting the culture and arts of the border region, preserving its built and natural heritage, increasing the number of tourists, and laying the foundations for planning a common future.

Thanks to this cooperation, a unified event calendar has been created, which provides a thematic overview of upcoming cultural events. For ease of navigation, the central website also features a travel planner, where visitors can enter their main preferences (interests, mobility restrictions, and length of stay in the border region) and receive a personalized itinerary. This package of suggestions includes locations, events, and accommodations relevant to the visitor.

Events and locations can be viewed not only as a list, but also on an interactive map. The Borderless Map (https://www.go2025.eu/en/discover/borderless-map) feature includes major cultural events, restaurants, and accommodations, but you can also filter for events that are happening at the time of your search.

Like all ECoC venues, GO! 2025 has also produced a Bid Book (https://www.go2025.eu/03.documenti/bidbook/GO_KNJIGA_ENG_WEB.pdf), which summarizes the main objectives and strategy of the program series: to create an integrated European border city where the economy, arts, and technology are coordinated with tourism; to develop a livable city where underutilized areas are revitalized and multilingualism and internationalism gain ground in the spirit of cultural diversity.