Medieval Ages – Age of rulers

For this one-day trip, we propose you leave Bucharest at 8 am. The road towards Curtea de Arges, A1 highway, crosses the Northern part of the Romanian Plain to Pitesti.

The panorama becomes nice; from this point onwards, the mountains from the north are visible and their peaks are white, being covered with snow for most of the year. The road between Pitesti and Curtea de Arges passes through many villages. This day trip is a good opportunity to see the pure face of Romania, the real one, without any masks or other adjustments.

After 2 2-hour drive, you arrive in the first Capital of Wallachia, the town of Curtea de Arges. Cross the city and continue your journey towards the mountains. The villages become nicer and more picturesque. The hills are now tall and vast, while the villages are developed on the small river valleys converging to the large valley of the river Arges.

After 25 km (15 miles), you arrive at Dracula’s fortress, also known as the Poenari Citadel, Poenari Palace or Vlad Tepes’ Fortress, built during the 13^th century. During the 14^th century, it gained strategic importance and became the fortress of Basarab the First, the founder of Wallachia and the Ruler who transformed the town of Curtea de Arges into the Capital of Wallachia.

Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes, strengthened and enlarged the fortress. Stories abound about his relationship with the nobility of the time. Legend has it that he reconstructed the fortress using nobles who broke the laws. Dracula utilized the fortress for protection and refuge during his conflict with the Ottoman Empire, but it lost significance after his death. Today, a considerable part remains visible and well-preserved. Perched on a high cliff near Transfagarasan road, visitors must climb nearly 1500 steps to reach Dracula’s Fortress. From the top, a stunning panorama of the Arges Valley unfolds. Listening to the guide’s tales while observing the actual site is a remarkable experience. Military tactics, like reversing horseshoes to mislead pursuers, add intriguing stories to the historical narrative.

After the visit to Dracula Fortress, the one-day trip continues towards Vidraru Dam. The 5 km road upstream, following the narrow valley, is spectacular. The stone cliffs, the big gap between the road and the bottom of the river, the steep slopes, the woods and the thin mountain air, all give a beautiful sensation. After reaching the dam, everything calms down, while the imposing Fagaras Mountains are visible on the north side.

From here we recommend you to go back to Curtea de Arges. This is one of the oldest towns in Wallachia and it has a rich history. Being the first Capital of Wallachia, it had a Royal Court and a Royal Church which still exist nowadays and are open for visitors. Visit this old place after going to the Municipal Museum, where you will better understand the history of the settlement and the entire Wallachia. After that, pay a visit to the Folk Art Museum, hosted by Norocea House. This is an old house, built in 1922-1923 by the painter and restorer Dumitru Norocea. The museum has more than 12 000 pieces: traditional objects, used in the households of Arges, crafted products, traditional clothes made of wool and other fabrics.

The last landmark of Arges to visit during our one-day trip is Curtea de Arges Monastery, one of the most beautiful Monasteries in Romania and the entire Orthodoxism. The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș was built in the 16^th century using the Byzantine style. It resembles a large, imposing mausoleum, with beautiful lines and details. Its white nuance, the lines, the clean, but rich architecture, the perfect proportions and its height, all make it astonishing. There is also a national Romanian myth linked to this cathedral, the myth of creation, which explains the necessity to make sacrifices to obtain great achievements. A full article about the Cathedral and this national myth will soon be available in the blog section.

Medieval Ages (one day Tour) is one of the most appreciated tours because it offers the opportunity to discover a great portion of the rich story of Romania and some of its beautiful nature in a short period of time.