Gorizia is the ideal place for a pleasant and rewarding run. Surrounded by greenery, it features parks, gardens, and scenic corners, enhanced by a pedestrian center that is a "Central European living room."

It is a very quiet city, there is no traffic and it does not experience a frenetic pace even during rush hour.

It therefore offers the opportunity to enjoy, at any time of the day, a running experience unique to a city center, because it allows you to pass through the city's most significant and historic sites (parks and tree-lined avenues, buildings, monuments, shopping streets, squares) without the worries of traffic or the discomfort of smog, a phenomenon almost unknown here.

The route winds almost entirely along pedestrian streets, cycle paths, and avenues with wide, comfortable sidewalks, in a loop of approximately 8 km, with the option of taking a few alternative routes that can lengthen it as desired.

We start from the Parco della Rimembranza, an area where you can easily prepare with some warm-up exercises. We then take Corso Italia, the beating heart of the city, heading toward the center, following the wide cycle paths that run alongside the buildings and shops.

We walk through the city center for about 700 meters until we reach the Teatro Verdi. Here, we turn right onto Via Garibaldi, thus accessing the city's pedestrian system. Opposite the City Hall, we take Via Mazzini on the left and continue along Gorizia's most characteristic and evocative pedestrian streets: Via delle Monache, and then, keeping left, Via Rastello, finally reaching Piazza Vittoria, once known as "Piazza Grande," the nerve center of the city's social fabric.

We cross the square diagonally and take Via Mameli to the right of the characteristic Church of Sant'Ignazio, whose onion-shaped domes are one of the most recognizable symbols of Gorizia.

Continuing, cross Corso Verdi and, keeping to the left sidewalk, take a long 1 km straight stretch that descends slightly along Viale XX Settembre, in the shade of the horse chestnut trees.

To the right of the avenue, you can see the historic Palazzo Coronini Cronberg. It's worth making a short detour into the palace grounds for a quick glimpse of this noble setting, before returning to Viale XX Settembre.

At the end of the avenue you come into view of the Isonzo River.

Here we have the first opportunity for those who want to extend the route, with a very pleasant alternative immersed in nature.

(VARIANT 1)

After crossing the bridge over the Isonzo River, which is unfortunately quite busy, follow the main road for a few meters on the left and then take a small uphill road on the right that leads to the gravel parking lot that provides access to Piuma Park. A loop of about 1 km, through the woods and then alongside a cool stream, which can be cycled around as desired. The trail is unpaved but easily walkable with standard running shoes.

At the end of the alternative route, you return to the main route by crossing the small bridge over the Isonzo River. Here, you take Via Don Bosco, a pleasant tree-lined avenue that, with its gentle climb, leads you back to the city center.

Continue running until the road turns left.

We will instead descend to the right along the steep descent towards Riva Piazzutta, another suggestive view, finally emerging at the crossroads with Via Italico Brass.

We cross the road (with a quick glance to the right we glimpse the “Kulturni Dom” auditorium, or “House of Slovenian Culture”) and continue up a short climb, at the end of which, turning right, we enter Corso Verdi, walking for a stretch through the most commercial center of the city.

We continue along the Corso, keeping to the right sidewalk and paying attention to some pedestrian crossings. The run allows us to admire several points of interest: the statuesque Post Office Building at the intersection on the left, the covered market immediately after on the right, always buzzing with authentic city life, and further ahead, on the right, the Public Gardens, home to several centuries-old trees.

Immediately after the gardens, we turn left onto Via Crispi and continue straight, passing a couple of pedestrian crossings, until we reach Piazzetta Cavour. We're back in the historic center.

Here, in front of the Police Headquarters, we can keep right and reach Piazza Sant'Antonio with its shady arcades, one of the most evocative places in the city.

 

(VARIANT 2)

We have the option of adding another loop to the route, this time a little more challenging. From Piazza Cavour, on the left, you can take the steep climb towards Gorizia Castle. You'll skirt the ancient walls and enter Borgo Castello, the medieval heart of the city, through the stone gate (Porta Leopoldina). You continue climbing to the park in front of the castle, then follow the road on the left to the Church of Santo Spirito, the oldest in the city. Then you start descending again, passing the War Museum on your right. Rejoining the road you've already taken, you descend again to Piazza Cavour and from there to Piazza Sant'Antonio. This alternative route adds a total of 1 km to the itinerary.

Returning to the main route, at the end of Piazza Sant'Antonio, we come to a fork in the road. The left road leads to Via Alviano and the University campus. We continue, keeping right, slightly downhill.

We pass the Baiamonti Stadium and then, on the left, the church of San Rocco, whose hamlet is one of the most characteristic in the city. At the intersection with the wide Via Vittorio Veneto, we turn right and continue back toward the center.

We continue on the right sidewalk for about 500 meters, cross the pedestrian crossing on the left at the traffic light and take Via Duca d'Aosta. Straight on for another 500 meters, we reach Parco della Rimembranza again. Crossing it, we return to the starting point.