The best city hikes and walks around Šempeter-Vrtojba

Once this place was divided not only between two states, but between two opposing and antithetical worldviews... today this place, divided between Italy and Slovenia, tells of a future that transcends the borders of individual states...

An imaginary line that divides Italy from Slovenia. There was barbed wire; and there a small Berlin Wall would arise: a fence on a half-meter wide concrete base, topped by a meter and a half railing, built along an internal city border line, which separated Italian Gorizia from the peripheral districts and the railway station of piazza della Transalpina, annexed by Tito's Yugoslavia at the end of the war; while on the other side stood Nova Gorica, a mirror image and opposite. And it was precisely the square that, during the Cold War, had become the symbol of the separation of the two Europes, the Western one and the communist one.

Located in the center of the town, it is adjacent to a Roman archaeological site of great interest and offers a peaceful setting, ideal for a cultural break along flat itineraries between Gorizia and the Vipava Valley.

A small, well-kept village with numerous places to stop and eat.

San Rocco was chosen as the patron saint for this church and its parish. Saint Roch was born in the mid-14th century in Montpellier, France. He is popularly regarded – alongside Saint Sebastian – as the "plague saint." A characteristic feature of Roch's depiction in paintings and statues is that he is usually pointing to a plague boil on his leg; a dog is often seen at his feet, because according to legend, when he was caring for plague victims, he himself contracted the disease and withdrew into solitude, and the dog provided him with bread every day. Saint Roch's feast day in the calendar of saints is August 16th.

"San Rocco" is the Italian name for Saint Roch, and "a Gorizia" means "in Gorizia," referring to the city of Gorizia (Görz in German) in Italy. The Church of San Rocco in Gorizia is an architectural gem dating back to 1497. Originally built outside the city walls as a protective measure against the plague, the church has undergone significant challenges and renovations over the centuries, particularly during World War I. The current structure incorporates elements from various remodelings and is a stunning example of the city's architectural history.

The present parish church of St. Peter in Šempeter pri Gorici was built after the First World War in the Neo-Romanesque style according to the plans of the renowned architect and urbanist Maks Fabiani (1865-1962). The church was consecrated in 1929. A church probably stood on this site as early as 1200, which was gradually rebuilt several times before being almost completely destroyed during the First World War.

Europe Square (Trg Evrope / Piazza Transalpina) is dominated by the monumental 1906 train station building, now located in Nova Gorica on the Slovenian side of the border. It was once the northern railway station of Gorizia and is the starting point for journeys to the Soča Valley, the Vipava Valley, and the Karst region. The square has two names: one Slovenian and one Italian. The mosaic in the center of the square was designed by Franko Vecchiet from Trieste, who belongs to the Slovene ethnic group in Italy, to mark Slovenia's accession to the European Union in 2004.