A very tiny metropolis. Consideration in the shape of a conversation with Luigi Di Dato about Gorizia, GO!2025 and the architecture of the future

This essay presents a critical conversation with architect Luigi Di Dato about the urban transformations of Gorizia and Nova Gorica in the context of GO!2025 – European Capital of Culture. Through a rich dialogue, the text reflects on the city as a stratified and plural geography, where architecture becomes a practice of crossing time, memory, and borders. Di Dato outlines a vision of the “tiny metropolis” as a composite urban organism, shaped by layered identities and contrasting morphologies. Emphasizing long-term thinking, cultural infrastructure, and the pedagogical role of design, the essay frames GO!2025 as both an opportunity and a missed occasion, calling for a more ambitious and rooted architectural vision. It proposes three key concepts—crossings, time, and visions—as tools for reimagining the role of architecture in contemporary European cities.