Gori, located very close to the capital, Tbilisi, is a beautiful city with long and complicated history. During the war Russia-Georgia war of 2008 Gori and Tskhinvali, the neighboring town,  were the main object of Russian occupation. Gori is the birthplace of the greatest Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and home to its house-museum.

Uplistsikhe Cave, situated very close to Gori is another natural wonder of the country. Being one of the oldest settlements and urban centers of Georgia, Uplistsikhe reserves some of the oldest architectural styles of styles of rock-cut cultures from Anatolia and Iran, along with pagan and Christian architecture.

Ateni Sioni is an early 7th-century Georgian Orthodox church in Ateni village, 10 km from  Gori. Its name Sioni comes from Mount Zion at Jerusalem.