Moldavia

Moldavia is a historic region divided between two states by the treaties that followed the Second World War: the Soviet Union and Romania. Later, with the break-up of the USSR, Soviet Moldavia was further split between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The part I want to talk about in this diary is the one belonging to Romania, where the ancient capital of the whole historic region is also located: Iasi. I have been to this city on many occasions and, despite its distance from the traditional routes to Romania, it is a place that deserves to be visited. It's undeniable that it has the most beautiful historic centre in the entire country, of which it also preserves the most beautiful monument, the flamboyant neo-Gothic Palace of Stefan Cel Mare.

The great building that symbolises Iasi is preceded by the equestrian monument of Prince Stephen the Great, a national hero who, with the help of the Wallachian Voivode Vlad Tepes (Dracula), pushed back the Ottoman advance in Europe. For his deeds Stefan earned the praise of the Catholics and canonisation by the Orthodox. The bulk of the palace with its elegant tower forms the backdrop to the long Bulevardul Stefan Cel Mare, which starts here and then crosses the entire city centre, flanked by important buildings of the most varied architecture and era. Among these, the ancient Church of the Three Hierarchs, with walls richly carved with geometric figures, the great Metropolitan Cathedral which preserves the greatly venerated remains of Saint Parascheva, the neoclassical National Theatre preceded by an elegant public park, and the Town Hall.

The city is surrounded by seven hills which urban expansion has partly occupied, so much so that some districts like Tatarasi are a real up-and-down of avenues. On one of the hills stands the isolated fortified Citadel, where a Monastery is kept within the walls. From here, as from the hill of Bucium, you get a fine panorama of the city. I have been to Iasi in spring, autumn and winter, and I must say that every season offers its own peculiarities. In the depths of winter a blanket of snow covers streets and monuments, transforming the historic centre, especially in the evening, into a fairy-tale setting. In autumn Saint Parascheva is celebrated, one of the most venerated in the Orthodox religion; thousands of devotees come to Iasi from all over the country and beyond. In front of the Metropolitan Cathedral very long queues form to pay homage to the Saint's sarcophagus.

In spring, then, it's an explosion of flowers in the numerous public parks. You can spend a few days in the city without getting bored: there are the Museums of Stefan Cel Mare's Palace, parks to stroll in such as Copou and a large Botanical Garden. Besides Iasi, Moldavia offers towards the west a mountainous area with scattered rural villages, often far from one another. There are also some monasteries isolated in a woodland setting of peace and serenity. Among these, particularly significant are Secu and Neamt, located in the surroundings of the little town of Tirgu Neamt. Happening upon them on a feast day is an unforgettable experience: hundreds of faithful pour into the Monastery carrying dishes and fruits of the earth, then all sit together at a large table in the refectory to eat and pray in communion with the monks.

If arriving here at a time of celebration is special, coming on other days of the year is interesting all the same: you are immediately projected into a setting of absolute peace and serenity, interrupted only by prayers. The monastery churches, dominated by great iconostases, are in small dark and smoky spaces where people gather in prayer, commend their loved ones by writing their names in a register, and leave an offering. The monks, who wear a strange little black cap and long unkempt beards, are always very kind to tourists. Secu and Neamt are two similar monasteries but very close to each other, so it's possible to visit both in a short time. The little churches are inside cloisters bordered by a wall fortification against which the convent buildings lean. From here a road that runs between green mountains crossed by streams leads to the artificial lake of Bicaz.

This reservoir feeds the nearby hydroelectric plant, which regulates the flow of the water, so much so that I have happened to see it both at maximum level and practically empty and traversed only by the waters of the river that forms it. The lake is crossed by a viaduct from which you get a good panorama of the reservoir and of the large isolated rock known as "the Devil's". One of the most beautiful gateways to Moldavia is certainly the one through the Bicaz Gorge, in a high-mountain setting where the road winds close to high Dolomite-like peaks. At the end of the gorge the road crosses villages of wooden houses in soft colours, each preceded by a yard with a well. Inside, the dwellings are small, with two rooms directly connected to each other; there is usually a little table beside a bed where people eat and sleep.

The space is heated by wood-fired terracotta stoves and the walls are painted in pastel colours with geometric-patterned borders. On the walls there is no lack of icons of Saints and black-and-white photos of ancestors faded by time. The women are dressed in dark clothes with headscarves. Near the village of Pipirig I remember an isolated house reachable only by crossing a tree trunk over a stream; an elderly woman lived there who received me with great hospitality and, having milked her cow, brought me warm milk, reviving me from the cold of a snowy winter. On the border with the Republic of Moldova I stayed in a hotel in Husi and visited the Theoretical Lyceum of Raducaneni.