Izola isn’t just a backdrop. Izola is our home.

After seven questions in the Share Your Town project, it is becoming quite clear what kind of Izola we locals want: a town that moves forward without losing itself. Safe, green and lively, with fishermen, a sense of belonging and places of our own. Above all, a town where visitors understand that they are coming into our home.

In the Share Your Town project, we asked locals four new questions. This time about safety, the future of the town, what we must not lose, and what we would finally like our visitors to understand about Izola.

We feel safe in Izola

When we asked when we feel least safe in our own town, one thing became quite clear: for the most part, we feel safe in Izola.

When that sense of safety drops, it is usually not because of a particular “dangerous” part of town, but because of much more everyday circumstances: darkness, poor lighting, walking alone at night, and bicycles or scooters in pedestrian areas.

In short: Izola is safe. A few extra lights wouldn’t hurt, though.

Development, yes. But on our terms.

What should Izola be like in five years? Beautiful, of course. But also progressive, active, cultural, green, connected and accessible. Some of us want more trees, others more cultural events, and others a town that is friendlier to animals.

But among the answers were also:

• “Distinctly its own.”
• “Authentic.”
• “TRUE TO ITSELF!”

And rather directly: “So it doesn’t become Koper in five years!”

We get the message. Izola should move forward, but not in a way that makes it lose its character.

So what is the most distinctly Izola thing that we must never lose?

If we had to guess, we would probably say the sea first. But the answers went in another direction: towards fishermen, sardines and the Fishermen’s Festival. Alongside them came a sense of home, belonging, togetherness, respect, locals, the market, local restaurants and the small rituals of everyday life.

Someone simply wrote: “Ribari per sempre.”

Delamaris, Argo and the chimney also appeared, along with old houses, the historic centre, Ljubljanska Street, Ambasada Gavioli, Hangar bar and Art kino Odeon. This tells us something else that is interesting: heritage is not only what is centuries old. The industrial and cultural history of recent decades has already become part of the town’s collective memory.

One answer also gave a rather lovely description of the quality of life in a small town: trees that provide shade, the market and butcher’s shop, and shops you can reach on foot within twenty minutes.

When we ask what we must not lose, we are talking about people, relationships, places and habits. Apparently, that is where most of Izola can be found.

Our home first, a tourist destination second

The most direct answers came when we asked what we would finally like tourists to understand about Izola.

• “We live here all year round.”
• “Izola lives 365 days a year, not just in summer.”
• “Izola isn’t just a picture, it’s a living town.”
• “Respect for the locals.”

The message is not that tourists are unwelcome. Quite the opposite. The answers also speak of the warmth and friendliness of locals, and of wanting visitors to feel at home while spending their holidays here.

But hospitality works both ways: the beach is not a rubbish dump, the sea is not a toy, and locals deserve respect. We run out of parking spaces too. And, by the way, indicators are still useful when leaving a roundabout – even on holiday.

We would also like visitors to discover Izola outside the summer season, talk to us, shop locally, seek out its less obvious layers and tune into its rhythm.

Because Izola is more than just a beach and a sunset.

So what kind of Izola do we want?

One that develops while remaining true to itself – safe, green, active and cultural. A town where fishermen still live and work, where we can still admire old houses and small local places. A town connected by our language, where we can preserve the feeling that we still all know one another.

Izola is our home first. A tourist destination second.

The Share Your Town project continues with new questions. You can keep sharing your answers on posters around town or submit them through the online form.