Contacts

In the extreme northeast of Italy, along the Italian-Slovenian border—scarred by clashes and violence over a century of wars—Slovenian roots have endured, forming a distinctive trait shared by the inhabitants of these valleys.

MI SMO TU (“We are here”) is both the name and the spirit of the museum network created by the Institute for Slovenian Culture as part of two European projects (Jezik_Lingua and ZborZbirk), aimed at promoting unique and distinctive aspects of Slovenian life in Italy.

Presented in an innovative way, SMO (Slovensko multimedialno okno – Slovenian Multimedia Window) is located in San Pietro al Natisone and is dedicated to landscape and storytelling. It encompasses the entire border region, from the Julian Alps to the sea. A cultural heritage preserved by private collectors, associations, and local institutions is now housed in small collections, much of which is now accessible as part of a widespread museum network.

The narrative of the places—developed at SMO through themes reflecting the cultural essence of the region—and the ethnographic collections show how life in these valleys has evolved, highlighting how strong our roots still are and how much of our language and culture we have managed to preserve.