The Basilica Patriarcale di Aquileia in Italy is preparing to welcome visitors, tourists, and pilgrims from both Italy and Slovenia as Gorizia and Nova Gorica take on the mantle of European Capital of Culture for 2025. To mark the occasion, a celebratory banner with the Go!2025 logo has been hoisted on the Basilica's bell tower.
In the coming weeks, the Iter Goritiense, a cross-border pilgrimage route, will be officially inaugurated. This route stretches from the Basilica of Aquileia in Friuli to Sveta Gora in Slovenia, passing through San Canzian d'Isonzo, San Martino del Carso, Mount San Michele, Cerje, Merna, and the cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica. The pilgrimage traverses sites scarred by the Great War and countless border stories, but also places of hope and reconciliation.
Mattia Vecchi, project manager of Iter Goritiense and communications director of the Basilica of Aquileia Conservation Society, explains, "In synergy with the Archdiocese of Gorizia, we will offer this route, included in the official program of the Capital of Culture, to all travelers visiting our region, given the coincidence between Go!2025 and the Jubilee of Hope." Even before its official inauguration, several groups of walkers have already embarked on the journey. The goal is to create a virtuous cycle that involves not only Aquileia and Gorizia, but also the economic fabric of the municipalities crossed by the route, creating a positive impact on the entire territory between Italy and Slovenia.
The Basilica of Aquileia itself, a cultural and religious center of Central Europe, represents a cross-border cultural beacon, embodying the spirit of the ancient Patriarchate of Aquileia, which encompassed dozens of peoples and nations. Andrea Bellavite, director of the Basilica of Aquileia Conservation Society, comments, "For Aquileia, Nova Gorica with Gorizia as the European Capital of Culture is a particularly important event, because the history of this territory is rooted in that of the Patriarchate of Aquileia, which brought together under one roof many nationalities, languages, and cultures, united by a deeply spiritual dimension. Go!2025, reconnecting with the history of Aquileia, aims not only to be the Capital of Culture, but also the Capital of Hospitality, indiscriminate of all people who come here from all over the world, the Capital of Peace, a place for building treaties and negotiations, and" concludes the director of the So.Co.B.A. Foundation, "the Capital of Justice, where we can demonstrate the beauty of Unity in Diversity."
All the events scheduled in the rich calendar organized by the So.Co.B.A. Foundation will be included on the websites and in the official communication of GO!2025, so that tourists or visitors to the first cross-border European capital can also visit the oldest public Christian place of worship in the world and stay updated on the initiatives and activities proposed.
The first event, traditional for the Basilica, is scheduled for March 22nd, with a visit to the Basilica at dawn, coinciding with the spring equinox. Journalists Martina Del Piccolo and Elena Commessatti, along with Professor Angelo Floramo, will engage in dialogue with Andrea Bellavite, director of the Basilica of Aquileia Conservation Society.