One square, two countries: the border runs across the pavement
On the square outside the Transalpina railway station, the border between Italy and Slovenia runs straight across the ground: a line of stone slabs with a circular mosaic at its centre, Gorizia on one side, Nova Gorica on the other. The 1947 Paris Treaty cut this corner of Italy's far north-east in two, and for decades a wall stood here. The fence came down in 2004, and since Slovenia joined the Schengen area in late 2007 you can stroll from one country into the other mid-sentence. Slovenians call it Trg Evrope, Europe Square, and the two towns renovated it together for GO! 2025, their shared European Capital of Culture. Straddling the line for a photo has become the local sport.
