An Open Day was held today to present “La Via del Borgo,” the project created last year as part of the PNRR Bando Borghi and coordinated by
Confcommercio Gorizia to redevelop and revitalize Via Rastello and Borgo Castello in the heart of Gorizia, known so far as Cluster 1.

An Open Day to tell the story of Cluster 1 –The heart of the Open Day was No. 52 Street, home of the historic store “La Bottega del Cappello,” which as of today hosts an unprecedented information and storytelling point set up by Confcommercio Gorizia: it is in these spaces that the trade association wanted to create a special strategic center for meeting and sharing ideas.

A space where one can breathe that emporium and cultural liveliness with which precisely Confcommercio Gorizia and the partners of Cluster 1 – QuiAltrove ETS Association, Canzoneri Chiara Impresa Individuale, Il Mosaico – Consorzio di Cooperative Sociali, Netural Scarl Impresa Sociale and Perco Fabrizia Impresa Individuale – are already enhancing Via Rastello, the protagonist of a new urban animation.

The curiosity of citizens and passersby took center stage in a day that began at 10 a.m. with a “cluster breakfast”-the first moment of sharing among partner members-and ended in the evening, at the end of a tour of the historic street and the locations that now house the projects, ideas and creativity of Cluster 1 members.

“La Via del Borgo”: discovering Via Rastello the heart of Borgo Castello – Also held at No. 52 Via Rastello in the afternoon was the “Chapeau!” event, which saw the presentation of the new brand identity of Cluster 1, which as of today officially takes the name “La Via del Borgo” within which it brings together the ideals, values, identity of the group and its members, the Borgo and the city of Gorizia with an inclusive branding embellished by the pay-off “A road to travel.” A brand that will thus cap Cluster 1’s activities starting with this first day of “urban animation.”

A title – “Chapeau!” – which is also meant to enhance, with much hats off, what has been done at the institutional and organizational level to begin a process of reviving a historic street in Borgo Castello and Gorizia. For the occasion, all participants were given a hat,
a representative symbol of an iconic gesture that expresses respect and appreciation.
True protagonists were the partner members of Cluster 1, who were able to tell and share their ideas and projects for the redevelopment of Via Rastello. A story aimed at institutions, the press and, above all, curious visitors and citizens, the main recipients of this new course of regeneration of a historic and symbolic street for Borgo Castello and all of Gorizia.

The tour of Via Rastello – Concluding moment was the tour of the street at the locations of each partner in which people were able to enjoy previews of future planned activities, included in a calendar that is only in its infancy and will be developed in 2024-2025 and conclude in the first half of 2026.
From No. 52 at Bottega del Cappello, the tour continued to No. 60, for a toast with the “territory to be told” curated by Chiara Canzoneri. At No. 64, stop at Fabrizia Perco’s arts and crafts workshop, with a subsequent move to No. 91, where the QuiAltrove Association set up an exhibition as part of The Circle_Concept Zone project. Finally, the meeting with Casa Netural and the Il Mosaico Consortium at number 19-21. Finally, at
conclusion of the day, a jazz concert by the Il Mosaico Consortium at the QuiAltrove Association space. In the Hat Shop a special workshop for children in collaboration with Via Rastello Association.

Institutional Speeches – The event was attended by the Councillor for the European Capital of Culture of the Municipality of Gorizia and the Councillor for Heritage, State Property, General Services and Information Systems of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia; Gianluca Madriz, President of Confcommercio Gorizia; and Monica Paoletich, Director of Confcommercio Gorizia and Cluster 1 contact person.

Borgo Castello: a laboratory of ideas – The presentation day was an opportunity to recount the progress made since last August, when the birth of Cluster 1 led by Confcommercio Gorizia was announced.
An initiative that is part of the pilot project called “One thousand years of history at the center of Europe: Borgo Castello crossroads of peoples and cultures” funded by the European Union as part of the Next Generation Europe Strategy, thanks to which the Ministry of Culture has allocated to the Municipality of Gorizia – thanks also to the role of strong support of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia – a contribution of 20 million euros, 6.2 of which are earmarked for
interventions in the cultural sphere by the five Clusters that have come into being.
A project that makes Borgo Castello, thanks to all the members of the Clusters involved, a laboratory of ideas aimed at space regeneration, reuse and co-design. New functions compared to a more strictly commercial past, which are, however, already showing fruits in terms of business establishment and thus economic spillover: just among the cluster members are the birth of Fabrizia Perco’s new sole proprietorship of artistic handicrafts and the doubling of Chiara Canzoneri, who alongside her now established hospitality business is preparing to open her gastronomic store. And other movements can already be glimpsed on the way.

The aim is to bring a concrete contribution to the cultural, social and economic sustainability of the area, strengthening the attractiveness of the Village, starting from the recovery of the intangible historical heritage to the creation of tourist services, routes to enhance the area and typical products (such as artistic handicrafts and agribusiness). Not the least of which is the strengthening of local community identity, from the development of an attitude to the path of active citizenship to the development of new skills, intergenerational knowledge, inclusive and sustainable (both socially and environmentally) strategies.