One of the world’s leading travel guides, Lonely Planet’s
\nBest in Travel has published its list of the top ten places to visit in 2016.
\nThe Romanian region of Transylvania tops the list with its traditions,
\nlandscapes, food, festivals and villages. Peter Suciu, a tourist guide and
\nmember of the Mioritics association, which specialises in Transylvania, says
\nthat what makes this region particularly attractive is its multicultural
\nnature:<\/p>\n
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Transylvania is home to at least 6 different
\nethnic and religious groups that have lived together for hundreds of years:
\nRomanians, Hungarians, Szeklers, Armenians, Saxons and Roma. In the countryside
\nyou can see this multiculturality reflected in how neighbourhoods are
\norganised, and how they hold their celebrations. For example, the small town of
\nAgnita holds the Fasching celebrations in February, while the Saxon holidays
\nknown as the Crown Festival is held in June, on the Feast of Saints Peter and
\nPaul.<\/p>\n
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We asked Peter Suciu to describe a typical
\nTransylvanian village: <\/p>\n
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It is a combination of managed natural
\nlandscape and human settlement with very well laid out rules. The typical
\nvillage has rows of houses with large courtyards, widely distributed. Animal
\nhusbandry is a staple here. The architecture is defined by the way people farm,
\neven to this day.<\/p>\n
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Our guide also talked about the local
\ncraftsmen, though their number is dwindling: <\/p>\n
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In the Saxon and Szekler areas you can still
\nfind traditional weavers. In M\u0103l\u00e2ncrav there are two weavers, in Mal\u0163\u00e2na there
\nis a coat maker, in Corund you have a few people who still make hats using a
\nwoody mushroom growing on trees. Also, Corund ceramics are famous. In a few
\nvillages you can still find traditional blacksmiths.<\/p>\n
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As a tourist guide Peter Suciu says foreign
\ntourists travelling to Transylvania are impressed with the pastoral landscape,
\nthe fortified churches, the crafts and the traditions, as well as the local
\nfood: <\/p>\n
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The local food is impressive in its variety.
\nEthnic groups learned from one another, sharing cooking skills. Transylvanian
\ncooking is quite heavy, using a lot of meat. The cuisine is influenced by
\nshepherding culture, while Saxon cooking is meat heavy, with lots of pork and
\nbeef, while Hungarian cooking leans towards spicy foods. Desserts are quite
\nelaborate, due to Austro-Hungarian influences. Also, homemade spirits are a
\nfamous local staple. All this blends into a great local cuisine.<\/p>\n
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Ionut Bordea, a biologist and travel guide
\nspecialising in protected mountain areas, told us: <\/p>\n
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You can find here a variety of forest
\nhabitats. Forests in the Carpathian mountains are home to one of the most
\nsignificant populations of large carnivores in Europe, such as wolves, bears
\nand lynxes. These species are extinct in Western Europe. Also very interesting
\nare pastoral landscapes in the mountains. In the Sighisoara and Tarnava Mare
\narea, for example, you can find some of the last pastoral mountain landscapes
\nat low altitude, under 800 meters. These are also gone in Western Europe,
\nbecause of intensive agriculture. You can find a multitude of orchids and other
\nspecial flowers, which have become emblems of the area. Proof of that is the
\ninterest shown by the European Union in protecting this area,
\nSighisoara-Tarnava Mare, which has been declared a Natura 2000 site.<\/p>\n
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The ADEPT Foundation of Romania protects major
\npastoral ecosystems in Transylvania. It is based in the town of Saschiz, and
\nhas set up a number of tourist trails linking Saxon villages starting in Viscri
\nand reaching Biertan, Ionut Bordea told us: <\/p>\n
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There are also cycling trails, such as that
\nbetween Me\u015fendorf and Cri\u0163. There are also marked trails for one-day trips,
\ncircling around villages. If you get accommodation in Viscri, for example, you
\ncan get a booking for several days, allowing you to visit all the villages
\naround. In Saschiz, at the headquarters of the ADEPT foundation, they have an
\ninformation centre where tourists can get promotional material in Romanian,
\nEnglish, German and French. I think the best ambassador for this area is Prince
\nCharles, who got deeply involved in promoting the region. I recommend the
\nseries of documentaries called Wild Carpathia, with lots of information about
\nthis area, which we consider one of the last wild areas of Europe.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Transylvania tops the list of places to visit in Lonely Planets Best in Travel in 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":66697,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43423],"tags":[116464,29229,30413],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-148431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travellers-guide","tag-romania-en","tag-tourism","tag-transylvania"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n