Bulgaria

What a lovely surprise Bulgaria was!! It was the first of several trips I'll have to make in the coming months for work; I'll touch on some areas of Eastern Europe and even further afield... in the rest of the world. As always, this is for me a huge professional opportunity, as well as the chance to dedicate a few hours to visiting places that otherwise...... who knows when I'd ever see. Setting off for Bulgaria meant something of a leap in the dark.... indeed, as far as I'm concerned, when I thought of a trip my horizon hardly ever pointed to this land. I knew few things and, even now, I know few things about this country, but I am aware that a visit to these parts is worthwhile. Unfortunately I only skimmed the areas of greatest tourist interest, staying overnight in the industrial towns of Shumen, Isperih, Kaspichan and Montana, and spending exactly 3 nights in Sofia.

The truest impressions I have in my head are those experienced on the road, observing the life and the people passing beside me; having rented the car at Sofia airport, my colleague Luca and I had 2500 km to cover in a week across the unknown Bulgarian territory, equipped with our GPS.... despite the maps not being so complete.... we travelled beautifully!! The immediate impact was quite strong: to think that this country has recently joined the European community and.... to see how far it still has to go to catch up with the rest of Europe. It is truly sad to think that barely more than an hour's flight from Bologna one can still find so much poverty, decay and poor prospects in the short term. For the people I met, for the new friends I left there, I hope that entry into the European community means steady growth and a new light on the horizon.

That said, and having left the grey outskirts of Sofia, the good notes begin. Along "our" roads, I think I took a long journey through time; entering the interior...... I don't know why..... but this is exactly how I imagined Italy in the 40s/50s. Fairly unspoiled nature, countryside as far as the eye can see, the colours of nature (in this case the intense red and yellow of autumn), plains and gentle hills, animals grazing freely and..... families out and about in a carriage. This I really did not want to believe.... the little donkey pulling the cart; at the reins the head of the family, the woman at his side, behind him the children and the elderly. Around Shumen and Isperih there is not much to see apart from some monumental memories of the communist era, nature and a couple of historical/archaeological sites.

Sofia itself, excluding the small historic centre area, has not much to offer. I remember with pleasure, though, the National Theatre with its intense red colour and the pedestrian Vitosha road, full of fashionable shops, restaurants, bars and lots of young people out shopping. From what I could understand, other areas were the ones to visit...... heading towards the Black Sea, to the resorts of Burgas and Varna, to Plovdiv with its famous amphitheatre, and the countless mountain villages, quiet, silent, set into the mountains right in the middle of the Balkans. Why visit/return to Bulgaria? Life for us is really very cheap, by European standards. The cuisine, to me, is delicious, largely meat-based and, I have come to say that, after Italy, Bulgaria is the place where I ate best. What's more, the produce is really natural; fruit and vegetables are exquisite.

There is good local craftsmanship, from wood carvings to colourful carpets; also very interesting are the flea markets in Sofia, near the Russian cathedral, with genuine objects and good imitations from the Europe of the 30s/60s. My interaction with people was positive; I found a lot of helpfulness and friendliness, bringing home, among other things, fine memories and some new friendships.