Descending from the castle along Viale D'Annunzio you come across Piazza Cavour, bordered by the linear facade of the Palazzo degli Stati Provinciali, which now houses the Police Headquarters.

Built in 1200 and expanded in 1500, the palace was the seat of the "fathers of the Gorizia homeland," the assembly comprised of representatives of the nobility, clergy, and county, who administered the city and its territory for six centuries. Other ancient buildings overlook the square: the 16th-century house of the Civic Magistrate, with its characteristic projection on the upper floors, the residence of the Gastaldo; the Casa degli Ungrispach, one of the oldest in the city, in late Gothic style, whose façade features a plaque with the date MCCCCXLI; and the ancient houses at the entrance to Via Rastello.

The oval-shaped benches in Piazza Cavour are instantly recognizable. One of them bears the inscription "En attendant mon amour." A romantic tribute to all those who have fallen in love (and will fall in love) in Gorizia. Or with Gorizia.