The shoes, the border, the vine, the installation that tells the story of the border between Italy and Slovenia
August 20, 2025 — Starting in June 2025, the historic headquarters of the Gradis’ciutta winery, nestled among vineyards on the border between Italy and Slovenia, is hosting the installation “Era Domenica / Bila je Nedelja” by artist Corso Zucconi, a work that intertwines contemporary art, collective memory, and territorial identity.
Composed of dozens of shoes, some intact, others found burnt, arranged along a country path, the work symbolically reconstructs the silent journey of those who crossed, lived or suffered the border between two worlds: that of western Italy and that of the former Yugoslavia. A border traced by history, but trampled by humble, rural daily lives, such as those of the inhabitants of Giasbana/Jazbine, divided by a line that did not exist until 1947, and which today is reunited in gestures, thoughts, and shared culture.
The installation is part of the “Via della Creatività” (Road to Creativity) cultural project conceived by Francesco Ranieri Martinotti, president of the National Association of Film Authors, which has already brought artists such as Clet to Gorizia. After its first exhibition along the Italian-Slovenian border, “Era Domenica / Bila je Nedelja” now arrives in Gradis’ciutta, where the path through the vineyards is also a familiar route: it was the road traveled by generations of the Princic family to reach Cerovo and its church dedicated to Sveti Nikolaj / St. Nicholas.
The artwork’s stay in Gradis’ciutta will also be the subject of a medium-length film dedicated to the relationship between art, memory, landscape, and wine culture, directed by Cristian Natoli and Francesco Ranieri Martinotti, and presented as part of the Sergio Amidei Award. This award ceremony, attended by numerous personalities from the world of cinema, will conclude the initiative.
“Welcoming this installation is a natural step for us,” said Robert Princic, owner of the Gradis’ciutta winery. “We deeply believe in promoting the artistic and cultural heritage of our region, especially when it is intertwined with collective memory and the family histories that belong to us. This project opens an important dialogue between past and present, between art and landscape.”
“Era Domenica / Bila je Nedelja” invites those who walk that path, among the vines and the silence of the countryside, to wonder what lies beyond the border, beyond the next step, beyond the history written by great events. In those abandoned shoes lies the living memory of those who walked before us. And today, through art, those footsteps return to become a voice, a story, a sense of belonging.
About Gradis’ciutta
Founded in 1997 by Robert Princic, Gradis’ciutta is one of the most significant wineries in Collio, Friuli Venezia Giulia. With approximately 50 hectares of hillside vineyards in the municipalities of San Floriano del Collio, Gorizia, Capriva del Friuli, and Dolegna del Collio, the winery represents a perfect balance between family tradition, winemaking innovation, and deep respect for the territory.
Guided by a sustainable philosophy and a production vision focused on biodiversity and quality, Gradis’ciutta obtained organic certification in 2018, crowning a long journey of conversion to responsible viticulture. Its wines, produced mainly from native grape varieties such as Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, and Malvasia, but also from international varieties well integrated into the territory, best express the richness and complexity of Ponca, the characteristic soil of Collio.
In addition to wine production, in 2022 the company inaugurated Borgo Gradis’ciutta, an accommodation facility created from the restoration of an ancient 16th-century palace, now a place of hospitality and immersive experiences in nature, art, wine culture, and local identity.
Gradis’ciutta is a family, cultural, and territorial project that looks to the future with deep roots in the land and history of Collio.
