Nova Gorica launches smuggling tour for thrill-seeking visitors
Visitors to Nova Gorica will be able to try out their smuggling skills on a guided tour of a once tight Slovenian-Italian border in a new tourism product inspired by the European Capital of Culture, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
The two-hour Smuggling Tour will run from Europe Square to the Smuggling Museum in Pristava, crossing the border multiple times and wrapping up with a customs check for an immersive visitor experience.
The tour will also take in the Pristava collection, which shows how people used to smuggle everyday products across the border, from coffee and rice to car parts, washing powder and jeans.
Starting from 9 February, the tour will be available at weekends for groups of up to ten visitors at a time, in Slovenian, English and Italian. Bookings can be made here.
"We decided for smaller groups because we wanted every visitor to be in contact with the guide as well as with a customs officer who will examine their smuggling resourcefulness," Erika Lojk, the head of the local tourism board, said
The tour is just one of three unique cultural tourism experiences inspired by the European Capital of Culture in a project called Factory of Experiences, run by Nova Gorica and Vipava Valley Tourism.
Rose-shaped and flavoured biscuits called Biškotična have been inspired by the Bourbon rose, a symbol of Nova Gorica, and the French royal dynasty whose name it carries. The dynasty's last members, including the last French king, are buried at the Kostanjevica Monastery above Nova Gorica.
The name of the biscuits is a fusion of the local dialect word for biscuit (biškot) and the word lady (gospodična) in a reference to the Bourbons. They are sold at shops and tourist info points.
Another heritage-themed product is a board game called Noble Wanderings. It introduces players to twelve castles and mansions of the former County of Gorizia, encouraging them to visit the locations themselves.
The game also includes questions about the history of the castles, which can be answered with the help of the accompanying booklet.
All three products will remain available after the end of the European Capital of Culture in Nova Gorica and Gorizia.
