Spring has finally arrived, bringing with it more pleasant temperatures suitable for long spring walks and cycling. It's still quite chilly in the mornings, but when the sun comes out and you're caressed by the sun's rays it is very pleasant. Today's walk meant even more to me and I enjoyed it very much because it was the first one after two weeks. Unfortunately, a quite bad flu kept me in bed for almost two weeks.
It is good, if also in bed situation we find a positive side. While I was at home on sick leave, I heard on the local radio that a new walking and cycling trail had been opened near my town. Since I hadn't heard the whole news and didn't have a good understanding of where exactly it was, I decided that it would be best to check it out in person.
The trail is part of a bigger "Interreg Italia-Slovenia 2017-2022" project. The new trail runs right next to the border between Slovenia and Italy, along the river Isonzo, on the border between the towns of Nova Gorica and Gorizia. A territory, that was once a guarded national border is now borderless zone, where we can walk freely and cross the border without any obstacles. During today's walk, I “crossed the border” five times.
My walk started in Solkan, a small town joined to the city of Nova Gorica. The two towns are joined together, and only a road sign remembers you that you have crossed from one town to the other.
There are small information boards along the trail and you get a clear info about the whole trail. Oh, I realised that I misunderstood the news on the radio. They didn't open a new path, but several new walking/biking paths 😊. They connected some already existing routes and made some news one. In this way they get 4 different routes, that can be done as singular ones or connected between them, in a circular way. I immediately realised that I would have to return to this starting point several more times to be able to walk them all.
I’ve started my walk and my attention was captured by the blooming nature. The fields were already all coloured in intense green and the fruit trees were already decorated with flowers that would soon give us sweet fruits.
The trail is quiet, safe even for younger children, well maintained and above all well marked, with ground signs in four colours, each colour marking its own route. It is partly on asphalted roads and partly on gravel roads.
Most of my walk was between vineyards and fields, where you can take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Of course, you can also choose a route that goes towards Gorizia or Nova Gorica, which is also great since you can stop for a great coffee on the way.
The route gave me a great view of the Sabotin and Skabrijel hills, which are popular destinations for a quick hike up the hill from Nova Gorica.
During the walk, I noticed some old rakes, which used to be used for raking hay. I think they are no longer in use because they are a bit rusty. They remind me more of a museum exhibit that would belong in an ethnographic museum.
A short part of the road crosses the industrial area of Gorizia, where we walk along a road surrounded by halls where companies have their headquarters and production.
At the end of the road, as I was approaching Solkan again, my gaze stopped on the foundry, which has been operating here for more than 70 years.
I will definitely have to return to these routes and walk a few more kilometres to see everything. So much for today's walk, I hope you had at least as much fun as I did.
Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards,
