The WALK 2 SPIRIT project addressed the common challenge of increasing tourist flows to peri-urban and rural areas, creating new opportunities for cultural and religious tourists. In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the number of people interested in the history, cultural heritage and religious heritage of the border area and, in view of the European Capital of Culture 2025, it has become necessary to respond to this demand and offer quality content and experiences. The challenge was to attract people interested in discovering some of the lesser-known elements of cross-border cultural heritage and, above all, to encourage them to return and repeat the experience in the future.

Taking advantage of the already considerable recognition of the Basilica of Aquileia and the Sanctuary of Sveta Gora, the two project partners have increased the range of sustainable tourism products in the programme area, enhancing its cultural and religious heritage. Thanks to the creation of an innovative cross-border route called Iter Goritiense, 82 km long, which starts in Aquileia in Italy and ends in Sveta Gora in Slovenia, the project has proposed a new sustainable tourism offer that combines historical, cultural and religious elements in a single package. During the project, the partners organised several walking events along the route to test its potential impact. In 2025, more than 1,500 walkers travelled the Iter Goritiense. 

Creation of an 82 km cross-border trail divided into 4 stages. The trail is fully signposted with 180 trilingual signs with QR codes, and GPX tracks are available free of charge on the website. A printed guidebook has been produced and is available in 3 languages (Italian, Slovenian, English).

More information and map: https://www.itergoritiense.eu/