We head towards the train station, but before reaching it, we go through the underpass and turn right immediately afterwards. After a short flat stretch, we climb the first karst ridges and come across the church of Santa Maria in Monte (beautiful Renaissance frescoes). Then we continue along the paths (watch out for the signs!) and walk among the rowan bushes. You can see signs of World War I, broken stones, grenade holes, damaged trenches and memorials. Among them is the monument dedicated to Filippo Corridoni, a large obelisk with symbols typical of the war rhetoric of the fascist era.
We continue along comfortable dirt roads between the stones of the karst gmina and arrive at Martinš?ina, where we are greeted by a monument carved with a poem by Giuseppe Ungaretti, dedicated to the village and its suffering due to the Karst front in the First World War. We head towards the cemetery and, in front of it, follow a clearly visible path that leads steadily upwards to the memorial area at the top of Debeli Griž. In a few minutes we will reach the top of Vrh svetega Mihaela (St Michael's Peak), from where it is only a short walk to Brestovec with its interesting cavern-lined nature trails. Then it's downhill towards the Vallone national road, which must be crossed with great care. A little further along the dirt road, we cross the border and enter Slovenia.
The border crossing is not felt, and the typical karst landscape continues on Slovenian territory. The Peace Monument at Cerje, erected in memory of the defenders of Slovenian soil, is the first point of interest in the Slovenian part of the Gorizian camino. The seven-storey stone tower offers a glimpse into Slovenia's turbulent history. Cerje offers a beautiful view for miles around. After a steep descent from the Karst, the stage ends at Mirenski Grad, which rises above Miren and the river Vipava.
Notice: The descent from Cerje to the valley is quite steep over a short section of about one hundred meters. When it's raining or after a long period of bad weather, this part of the trail can get slippery. Therefore, we recommend extra caution. Fortunately, the section is not long. Once you reach the wider dirt road, turn right and continue to the end of the stage without any further difficulties.
