BUCOVINA

Moldova rivals Transylvania when it comes to rich folklore, natural beauty and astonishing history. Over the past 500 years, history, culture and religious life have molded Iasi, the cultural capital of Moldova.

Nestled in the rolling hills of northern Moldova is the region of Bucovina, home to one of the world’s greatest art treasures: the UNESCO World heritage sites of the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina. Built in the 15th and 16th centuries and featuring colorful exterior frescoes depicting dramatic religious scenes, these richly decorated houses of worships are unique in the world.

DO NOT MISS…

• The monasteries and churches with painted exterior frescos of Bucovina: Voronet (‘the Sistine Chapel of the East’), Moldovita, Sucevita, Humor, Probota, Arbore, Rasca
• The old monasteries and convents of: Putna, Dragomirna, Bogdana-Radauti, Neamt, Agapia (one of the largest nun monasteries in the Orthodox world) and Varatec
• Trei Ierarahi Church in Iasi – built in 1635, its walls, real stone embroidery
• The Neamt Fortress in Targu Neamt
• The natural scenery of the Bicaz Gorges – one of the most spectacular road passes in Romania
• The Ceahlau, Romania’s Olympus – sacred mountain of Dacians, the forefathers of the Romanian people, where Zamolxes, their supreme god, had his temple.
• Take a wine tasting tour and try some of Romania’s finest sweet wines at Cotnari Vineyards, established in1448