Pilot Project “A thousand years of history in the center of Europe: Borgo Castello crossroad of peoples and cultures”

Attractiveness of small historic town (Mission 1 – Component 3: Investment 2.1)

Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan contributes to the "Piano Nazionale Borghi" initiative, designed to bolster the economic and social growth of underprivileged regions through cultural rejuvenation of small towns and boosting tourism. 

The efforts revolve around cohesive cultural projects tailored to local areas. Key measures include: 

• refurbishing historical landmarks and enhancing public spaces (like eliminating architectural obstacles and upgrading urban amenities), establishing compact cultural services, especially for tourism; 
• devising and highlighting new pathways such as thematic or historical trails while promoting guided tours; 
• providing financial aid for cultural, creative, tourism-related, commercial, agri-food, and artisanal ventures, aiming to rejuvenate local economies by spotlighting local products, skills, and methods.

The investment is financed by Italy’s Recovery and Resilience plan by EUR 560 million.

The pilot Project “A thousand years of history in the center of Europe: Borgo Castello crossroad of peoples and cultures” is part of this investment. The Municipality of Gorizia, beneficiary of the activities, will implement the interventions in close coordination with the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, which will operate through its own instrumental structures and bodies each in their area of competence.

The project will be implemented in close connection with the activities that the Municipalities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica will put in place for the implementation of the European Capital of Culture GO!2025. Private entities grouped into thematic clusters will also contribute to the project implementation, trough agreements stipulated with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.

The priority lines of intervention identified by the project are:

• the redevelopment of public spaces for their reuse in a collective and local development perspective;
• the use of culture as a catalyst and as a transversal development tool to support different sectors;
• the strengthening of a new international profile for the city, also through the establishment of new activities and services that promote multilingualism and experimentation in art, including via the contamination of traditional craft activities with the use of new technologies.

The expected results from the investment are:

• increase in cultural accessibility, inclusion and participation;
• increase in tourist flows and employment levels;
• fight against residential and commercial desertification in the town and in the functional areas historically serving the town;
• Reduction of the digital divide and introduction of technologies enabling active citizenship through a process of community building;
• Increased visibility and reputation of Borgo Castello;
• Increase in internationalization and cross-border activities.

The project also aims at reducing environmental impact as transversal objective.

Top 100 recipients:

• COMUNE DI BOLOGNA