The MerlinCV project is providing the opportunity for visitors to discover the treasures of historical houses in Venezia Giulia during one of the two tours, organised by the project partner Aries. Around twenty participants joined the first tour on Saturday, 18 December, learning about the French royal House of Bourbon and their passing through Gorizia. At the Kostanjevica Monastery in Nova Gorica, the curator of the ancient library Mirjam Brecelj shed light on the history of the monastery and its connection with the French royal family. The visitors were able to admire the treasures of the monastery in a guided tour of the church, the crypt with tombs of the last members of the house of Bourbons, the rose garden (with probably the biggest and most complete collections of Bourbon roses in the world) and the valuable library (boasting over 15,000 ancient books in 27 languages).
On their return to the Palazzo Lantieri, the group was welcomed by countess Carolina Lantieri who was happy to accompany the visitors through the garden, called Parco della Persiana, and through the luxurious rooms of the palace: hall with frescoes, the gallery with stone tiles, the Eastern Gate tower. The countess explained briefly the history of the Lantieri family and their centuries long presence in Gorizia, with particular attention to the events of the 19th century when the French royals stayed in the palace. Among the highlights of the visit was the exhibition of some artefacts that belonged to Bourbons, like for example the splendid brooch gifted to Countess Elena Lantieri by the dauphin of France, Count of Chambord. Roberto Borghesi was in charge of the event organization and animation. Setting up an exhibition with interesting technical and gemmological information, he helped visitors understand and appreciate the uniqueness of the object offering at the same time an emotional glance into an entire historical period.
The organizers wish to thank Countess Carolina Lantieri, Niccolò Piccolomini, Franciscan friars of the Kostanjevica Monastery and the curator of the library Mirjam Brecelj for their warm hospitality.
Operation co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
