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Tour
description
This tour will take us to Redipuglia and Gorizia,
two places that witnessed violent attacks and great
destruction during World War I.
Redipuglia is universally renowned for its
great War Memorial where the bodies of 100,000
soldiers who died during World War I are buried. The
majestic marble stairway with its 22 terraces
takes you up the hill, with panoramic views over the
surrounding battlefields.
The tour then continues to Gorizia, the only
town in Italy divided by a border (its eastern half
is actually located in Slovenia). It was the capital
of an ancient Austro-Hungarian province and was a
very important and wealthy city until the outbreak
of World War I, which destroyed it almost completely.
Today it still keeps some evidence of a central European
heritage in its long avenues and architecture: the
characteristic church of St. Ignazio, the imposing
Palazzo Attems-Petzenstein, site of a fine
picture gallery, and many other buildings in the historical
center are clearly Hapsburg in inspiration.
The heart of this beloved city on the Isonzo river,
though, is the majestic castle, located on
a hill and surrounded by a medieval burgh.
It is one of the loveliest fortresses in Friuli-Venezia
Giulia and it is often used by local authorities for
cultural events.
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