Nova Gorica and Gorizia make history

A procession of dancers, percussionists, folklorists, brass bands and carnival groups started out at the Gorizia train terminal and passed the baton to to Slovenian athletic and artistic groups at a former border crossing.

Many members of the Slovenian minority in Italy were in the procession, including a Slovenian brass band from Doberdo del Lago (Doberdob in Slovenian) and students from Slovenian-language schools.

The European Capital of Culture is important for the minority, "we feel it as a connection to the motherland that is typically not there," Martina, a teacher at Slovenian primary school in Gorizia, told the STA.

"It is truly a one-of-a-kind event. After such a long time, during which there were two world wars, it finally brings together Italy and Slovenia," added Ljuba Legiša, a member of a Slovenian folk dance group from Trieste.

As part of the ceremony, the Newspaper Sphere, a famous work of art by the Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto consisting of a giant sphere covered in newspaper cut-outs, was rolled across the border as a symbol of peace.

Four folk dance groups, two Slovenian, one Serbian and one Macedonian, joined them at the Nova Gorica Local Community building, and choirs from the region with around 200 singers sang together on the stairs of the Eda Centre.

There, next to the memorial to the aviator Edvard Rusjan, choirs from the region joined forces to sing the classic Slovenian pop tune Dan Ljubezni (Day of Love), under banners in the emerald colour of the River Soča that is also the official colour of the European Capital of Culture.

The parade was later joined by Slovenian and Italian brass bands, which escorted it to Bevk Square, where circus clowns and acrobats performed, while DJs JA SHA and DJ Emily performed a rap song entitled Gorica Je na Mapi (Gorica is on the Map), a tribute to the city.

The parade ended with speeches by the mayors of the two neighbouring cities, who highlighted the historical importance of an event that has brought the cities even closer together.

Nova Gorica Mayor Samo Turel expressed the hope that the two cities will forge even closer ties and better understand each other. In uncertain times, the message of the project is all the more important, as it shows that cooperation is possible despite a tragic history.

"Today reinforces our conviction that our message of borderlessness and peace, our slogan Go Borderless, is true and all the more pertinent at this moment," said Turel.

"I would like to see young people in particular taking this initiative forward, living in peace and harmony without borders, so that in the future we are not only linked by the two natural beauties of the River Soča and the bora wind, but also by deep bonds of friendship, common cooperation, coexistence and living in peace," he said.

Gorizia Mayor Rodolfo Ziberna, thanked all those who had contributed to the project. "Today we are making history because we managed to unite, because we managed to bring down the border. Things work best together," said Ziberna.

The cross-border parade was conceived as a tribute to the Friendship March, a recreational event held in the 1970s and 1980s that was later got the moniker "Schengen before Schengen" because it brought the two cities together at a time when they were still separated by barbed wire.

It marked the beginning of year-long festivities that locals and officials alike hope will not just attract visitors but also foster dialogue about what life along the border may look like.

"We want global politicians to look at the parade as well, to see how it is possible to coexist and share things good and bad, using words rather than weapons to have a conversation," said Valter, a Nova Gorica native.

Another local, an elderly shop assistant in Gorizia, said, in a mixture of Slovenian and Italian, that she wants the European Capital of Culture to be a holiday of joy and peace.