Digital Art Gallery in Gorizia, Italy

The history of the pedestrian tunnel in Gorizia, Italy, underneath the city’s castle has been, for the most part, relatively mundane. The tunnel was originally conceived in the second half of the nineteenth century as a way to connect the city center of Gorizia on the west side of the castle with an animal market (that no longer exists) on the east side of the castle in the neighborhood of Rafut (which is now located across the border in Slovenia).

Work on digging the tunnel through the hillside started in 1943 during World War II, but the war soon disrupted the construction of the tunnel in part because local residents needed to use the tunnel as an air raid shelter. The tunnel was eventually completed in 1950 and was named after local politician Giorgio Bombi. After opening, the tunnel would function for decades as a simple, straightforward way for pedestrians and cyclists to commute to and from the city center.

In 2025, Gorizia, Italy, and Nova Gorica, Slovenia, were both designated the first transnational European Capital of Culture, and as part of this event, Gorizia renovated the tunnel, transforming it into what is now called the Digital Art Gallery. The tunnel features arched LED screens with an area of over 900 square meters and a length of 100 meters that completely cover the tunnel’s ceiling. Animated displays on the LED screens along with speakers hidden under the lower walls provides visitors with an immersive, surreal experience as they walk through the passage.

While this gallery opened as part of the events connected to 2025’s European Capital of Culture, the digital architecture will stay in place in the long term, continuing to provide tourists to the city with otherworldly experiences while also providing local residents with livelier commutes to and from the center of Gorizia.