From Alanis Morissette, one of the most influential singers in rock history, to Steve McCurry, one of the century's greatest photojournalists. These are just a few of the names that open the long list of guests called for ‘GO!2025&Friends’, a project that will see numerous events flanking the ‘GO!2025’ programme even beyond the city of Gorizia, in the year in which, together with Nova Gorica, it will be the European Capital of Culture. Representing the important event, which is born under the sign of union and overcoming borders, is the image created by Lorenzo Mattotti, chosen as the poster that will accompany the events of the Capital and the related programme ‘GO!2025&Friends’ and unveiled yesterday in Udine during the presentation press conference. Speakers included the President of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia Massimiliano Fedriga, the Regional Councillor for Culture Mario Anzil (both via videoconference), the Councillor for Finance Barbara Zilli and the Director of Operations of Promoturismo FVG Jacopo Mestroni.

MATTOTTI: UNION, HARMONY, BELONGING TO A COMMON SPACE
The themes of overcoming borders, sharing, influences and the importance of culture blending between two countries expressing itself powerfully in music, dance, art and theatre. Based on the elaboration of these concepts, the image created by Lorenzo Mattotti and chosen as the manifesto of ‘GO!2025’ and ‘GO!2025&Friends’ was created to represent the message and objectives of the project between the celebration of the cultural characteristics that Europeans share and the sense of belonging of European citizens to a common cultural space. Lorenzo Mattotti, one of the world's leading artists in the field of graphics, with numerous exhibitions to his credit (including the anthological exhibition at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the Museums of Porta Romana and I Manifesti di Mattotti at Santa Maria della Scala in Siena, while in 2024 he signed, for the seventh year, the image of the official poster of the Venice Film Festival) and the production of posters, covers and advertising campaigns, wanted to condense the essence of this important event in his graphics. The image depicts a couple - he Italian, she Slovenian or vice versa, the connotation of nationality is not important - dancing on a bridge surrounded by a thousand shades of green, above the river Isonzo/Soca, elements of union and connection between Nova Gorica and Gorizia. In the beauty of nature, music and art in general, archetypes of a universal language, one finds those elements of sharing without borders that help break down all linguistic, physical and political barriers. There is the river, the bridge and the meeting of two people to represent two peoples, two cultures, two worlds. In one image, the symbol of the harmony of sharing a journey that starts right at the border.

GO!2025&FRIENDS, BORDERLESS EVENTS NOT ONLY IN GORIZIA
The official ‘GO!2025’ programme will be complemented by the ‘GO!2025&Friends’ programme, with a series of events including exhibitions, concerts by international artists and other initiatives to involve not only Gorizia, but also other venues and locations in the region throughout 2025. Appointments that will host names of national and international stature to enrich the cultural and musical proposal realised on the occasion of the European Capital of Culture, so as to involve visitors who will come to discover the two cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, in a journey that embraces the entire Friuli Venezia Giulia region. ‘GO!2025&Friends’, with its own logo and graphics, representing a continuum with the official agenda, will therefore schedule concerts of various kinds in different locations of the region - outside Gorizia - and some art exhibitions, in a sort of borderless extension of the Capital of Culture, with the aim of increasing the participation of the entire region and exploiting the visibility of the initiative to enhance the destination Friuli Venezia Giulia.