Tom`s travels: Gorizian Hills (30/09/2018)

On this day I convinced my parents to drive eastwards and visit the area around my grandmother's hometown, Gorizia. After taking the highway we reached the small town of Gradisca d'Isonzo and parked our car right outside the old town. Part of the club "the most beautiful villages in Italy" its city center features a set of 16th-century walls, built by the Venetians, which used to surround the whole town but whose western side was demolished to grant an opening due to the pace of times. As we walked along the northern walls, we passed by one of the fortified towers, built so to stand up to the improvements of the period which consisted of firearms thus requiring a change of defense all throughout Europe. We then entered through the city gate, Madonna della Porta, and climbed a part of walls where I had a nice view of the surroundings. We then went back down and walked along the perfectly straight outline of the streets. We entered the Duomo, dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul, featuring a mix of Neoclassical and Baroque exterior and interior with some older features such as the 16th-century tomb of Nicolò della Torre. Then through the streets, we reached again the location of our car, passing by the theatre, which was built during the 19th century when the town was governed by Austrians which loved to have some entertainment and had several cafés built next to it which still remain to this day. After taking the car we then drove further and reached the city of Gorizia, the birthplace of my grandma from my father's side. After parking the car and continuing on foot we figured out the city was quite packed with visitors due to a multi-day event called "Gusti di Frontiera" which consisted of stalls all along the city streets serving food from all over Italy and beyond. We reached the Piazza della Vittoria, the city's central square which featured a nice fountain representing Neptune and built-in 1756. On the western side of the square was the church of Sant Ignatius, unfortunately, closed at that time, but featuring a typical Baroque structure found throughout the former Austrian Empire, which the city belonged to for nearly 500 years. From there we walked along Via Rastrello, the main street cutting through the old town sided by beautiful buildings ranging from different periods. Then reaching Piazza Sant'Antonio a stage was set up for the event and food and drinks were being offered at its side. We took a glass and a snack and enjoyed the sunny weather for a bit. Then we started to get hungry so headed back through the town to a place called Trattoria da Gianni where we were seated after a bit of waiting due to it being fully packed. After ordering our dishes we found out by surprise that the dishes were huge and some plates were even too much for two people. My huge dish of gnocchi with four cheeses filled me up to the brink as I barely managed to finish it. After lunch we then walked further into the old town, passing by the Duomo which was unfortunately closed, and then walking uphill to reach the upper part of town. We passed under the Porta Leopoldina, a 17th-century gate dedicated to the Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I and entered what used to be the oldest core of the town, where some buildings, together with the church of Santo Spirito, built at the end of the 14th century, and the castle, were located. We headed for the castle, located on the highest point of the hill, and found out that entrance was free. That, unfortunately, meant it was full of people but we nonetheless managed to enjoy visiting it. Originally built during the 11th century it was later modified when the Venetians took control of the city at the beginning of the 16th century for a few months and upgraded it to sustain more modern warfare. The interior, though remade, featured some nice rooms with medieval furniture; while the terraces and windows provided amazing views over the old town. From up there, the border with the Slovenian town of Nova Gorica, which was just a few hundred meters away, could be clearly seen as well. After the visit to the castle, we walked back through the old town and got into the car to drive further. We passed through an area known as the Collio, or Gorizian Hills, crossing into Slovenia and stopping at a small town called Smartno. This small hilltop town used to be enclosed by a set of walls which had been later demolished and just a few traces remain. We walked through the pretty streets admiring the architecture and the beautiful view over the surrounding hills covered in vineyards which at that time were ripe with grapes. Driving then back into Italy we descended the hills and drove through the plains formed by the many rivers of the area, and stopping at a small town called Clauiano. Part of the club "the most beautiful villages" it is rather like a spread out village with no central square but spreading out from a central street cutting through the center. After a little walk around I didn't find particularly interesting and suggested to continue further. After a little drive further, we reached the town of Palmanova, a perfect example of star fort of the Late Renaissance built by the Venetians in 1593 to defend the land from invading armies coming for the east. It never served its purpose but served as a precursor to the many star forts which were subsequently built all around Europe. This is why recently it had been put into the Unesco list together with other Venetian works of Defence along the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Sea. We did not get a full overview of the structure by driving through, though a satellite image can fully show its size and design. From there it was time to go so we headed back on the highway and in the direction of Vicenza.