On January 24, 2025, one of the four monumental steles created by the internationally renowned Friulian artist Giorgio Celiberti was placed outside the Gradis’ciutta winery in San Floriano del Collio.
With this solemn moment, the beginning of the extraordinary year of Gorizia and Nova Gorica European Capital of Culture 2025 was anticipated.
The work, located at the Gradis’ciutta winery, promoter and organizer of the initiative, is the symbol of cross-border collaboration between Italy and Slovenia and a tribute to the cultural unity that this border land has embodied for centuries. With their slender shape and the incisions that recall the word as a signature and pact between community and culture, Celiberti’s sculptures are a universal invitation to peace, reflection and collective responsibility. In total, the steles created by the sculptor Celiberti are 4 and the others have been placed in the municipalities of Nova Gorica and Gorizia and in front of the Ferdinand winery.
“Welcoming a work of such value into our cellar is not only an honor, but a further step towards strengthening the bond between art, wine and territory,” says Robert Princic , owner of Gradis’ciutta. “ This stele represents our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the beauty, culture and collaboration that characterize Collio and Brda .”
The inauguration was a moment of great significance, with the participation of the mayors Rodolfo Ziberna and Samo Turel and the producers, Robert Princic and Matjaž Četrtič, who together gave life to Sinefinis , a wine project without borders . Born from a shared passion for the territory and the desire to break down barriers, Sinefinis is an example of unique collaboration in the European panorama. This project, which celebrates Ribolla Gialla – Rumena Rebula as the symbolic variety of Collio and Brda, has given life to cross-border bubbles from Italian and Slovenian grapes that tell a story of unity and sharing.
The collaboration with the artist Giorgio Celiberti is a further chapter of this vision. His works, with their strong symbolic message, amplify the cultural and human value of Sinefinis, demonstrating how wine and art can unite to overcome geographical and cultural borders. “The stele placed at Gradis’ciutta is not only a monument, but a tangible symbol of our vision: to transform borders into bridges , uniting people, traditions and different perspectives,” underlines Princic.
Sinefinis, with its roots in Collio and Brda, is a forerunner of the Nova Gorica and Gorizia 2025 project, having anticipated the idea of cross-border collaboration already seventeen years ago. The ambition of Robert Princic and Matjaž Četrtič is not limited to the production of quality wines, but extends to the promotion of a cultural and sustainable model, capable of inspiring other realities to follow their example.
This moment represents a fundamental piece of a path that sees Gradis’ciutta committed not only to the valorization of the Collio, but also to the construction of a shared future through the dialogue between art, wine and community. A future where culture becomes the true glue between peoples, histories and territories.