The word written in 25 metres high stone letters, until recently read »Vstaja« (Uprising). At the moment only the semicircle of the last letter forming the word "Tito" is still missing. The notorious "rolling stones" on the hill should roll to their final place this Saturday, when the four letters forming the word Tito will be painted white and thus become visible from the valley, both from the Slovenian and from the Italian side of the border hill Sabotin.
Sabotin is, actually, a true practice range for political activists of the “Suit of the Letters”. It held so many inscriptions in stone that it is rather difficult to keep track of all. Each time grass and shrubbery comes close to overgrowing the stone letters, another activist group wakes up, and rearranges the stones into a new grafitto. The last but one "rolling of stones" on the hill happened more than a year ago. On March 2 the activists of the All-Slovenian Uprising rearranged the stones forming the word TITO into »Vstaja« (Uprising). When it almost turned green and was nearly forgotten, the same activists, with the help of the groups Primorski puntarji and Maj '45, again rolled up their sleeves, and the stones back into the four letters forming the original Sabotin grafitto.

Tito, Fido, Tigr, Slo ...
The first stone inscription on the Sabadin ridge was made by brigadiers from the work brigades in the distant 1978, immediately after the Osimo Agreement which finalized the border between Slovenia and Italy, winding also along the ridge of Sabotin. The brigadiers chose the words "NAŠ TITO" (OUR TITO), wishing to show the Italian neighbours who lived on this side of the hill, and who we belonged to. The stone letters were 25 metres high, and the text covered about one hundred meters of the Sabotin ridge. During the passing decades the text faded, and turned green with vegetation.
A decade ago, in 2004, the text on Sabotin started to create agitation. At first the stones were rearranged into "SLO", a year after they again spelled "Naš Tito". A couple of days later, the inhabitants of Nova Gorica woke up to "Naš Fido"(»Our Fido« - Fido being a name for pets – translator's comment), and next day already the letters were rearranged back into "Naš Tito". In 2006 unknown authors rearranged the stones into "Naš Tigr"(Our Tigr, TIGR being an abbreviation for Trieste, Istria, Gorizia and Rijeka, full name Revolutionary Organization of the Julian March T.I.G.R., translator’s comment), than back to "Naš Tito", only "Tito", and a year ago, in the Uprising year, the text read »Vstaja« (Uprising). Until last week.

Tito for Victory Day
The activists of the All-Slovenia Uprising, the Rebels and the members of the Maj '45 section, plus a number of people of Slovenian origin living in Italy, intend to climb the top of Sabotin early Saturday morning. Darko Žnidarčič from Maj '45 section, who is active at the Nova Gorica Regional Association of Combatants for National Liberation Values, predicts: "We have only to finish the last letter 'o', some 15 meters. We will pain the stones with lime, whiten them, and everything will be ready for the great celebration on the eve of the Victory Day."

For the evening of May 8 the combatants, activists of the All-Slovenia Uprising, and the Rebels are organizing a traditional festive event, a show with torches besides the stone text "TITO". The honourable speaker will be the member of the presidency of the Association of Combatants Milan Gorjanc. A rock and a rap concert are announced, three choirs will sing partisan and uprising songs, and the new stone inscription will be illuminated by torches and thus seen from great distance from the valley.

Mojca Dumančič, TV Slovenija
Foto: Franko Pleško in BoBo
Translated by G. K.