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Among the smallest in Italy, Gorizia
province is a unique casket of natural,
historical and cultural beauty, benefiting
from mild climate most
of the year, a place
where, to the
north, the hilly
landscape
of the
Collio area - frequently
terraced and world
renown for its winesopens
to Europe through
the valleys of the Isonzo
and Vipacco Rivers. The
central-eastern part of the
province is of karst coastal
origin and is characterized by
scrubs and marshland and artificial
pine forests, whereas southwards the Isonzo
River flows into the sea in a vast area of
reclaimed land that gives way to the impressive
landscape of the Grado lagoon. The province counts
about 140,000 inhabitants belonging to several
communities (Friulian, Bisiacheria, Grado, Venetian,
Istrian, and Slovene communities) which maintain
their traditions and languages alive, thus enriching
the anthropological history of the province. The
centuries of Austrian imperial rule are still visible
in the neat towns, the style of palaces and churches
and even some tastes in food (iota,
sauerkraut, strudel, putizza,
presnitz, kiffeletti are just
a few examples). On the
other hand, the monuments,
trenches, cemeteries, and
battle fields of World War I
witness the struggle that rejoined
Gorizia to Italy. The
second post-war period,
which saw the division of the
world in the spheres of
political influence, forced the
Gorizia province to be a
border area for more
than half a century,
a sometimes
burdensome
condition that was
only resolved in 2004 when Slovenia became a
EU member. Nowadays, the Gorizia province
is at the heart of one of the liveliest areas of the
new enlarged Europe and new opportunities are
laid in front of its inhabitants.
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