Today we have the chance to find out traditional medieval history.

In spite of the deep changes that have occurred during the past century - the leaving of the Saxons led to the abandonment of many houses, some of which sub-sequent passed into the hands of Romanian and Roma inhabitants, the long presence of the Saxon community is still evident in the village; this rural community  retains a valuable architectural heritage that includes an impressive Lutheran fortified church, mainly built in Romanesque and Gothic style, and a predominantly traditional rural settlement consisting of colorful farmhouses of medieval foundation and Baroque appearance.

Viscri is best known for its highly fortified church, UNESCO listed, originally built around 1100 AD by the Szeklers. In 1185 the church was taken over by Saxon colonists, their arrival pushing the Szeklers in the east Transylvania. In 1525 the fortification system was added to the church.

The traditional crafts represent the result of the elaborate work of the villagers, an ethnic mix who joined together in this enterprise: the Blacksmith workshop is operated by a Roma villager, as well as horse-cart ridings in the village and its proximity, while the handmade felt shoes are made by new settlers that came in the village in the 90’s from Western Germany.

The culinary experiences are mainly offered by new settlers, who left their high ranked jobs in the urban environments; hey collect amazing ingredients from small scale local producers and turn them into tasteful recipes. We take the opportunity to lunch in such a place, Viscri 125 - seasonal ingredients from local farmers come alive in age old recipes prepared with care; beside the barn-restaurant there is a beautiful orchard where we can relax while enjoying some authentic or slightly reimagined Transylvanian recipes.

Leave Viscri in the afternoon and head to Sighisoara. Named also Schäßburg, the city along with other six Transylvanian Saxon fortified cities, gave the German name of Transylvania which is ‘Siebenbürgen’, hence the number of major medieval settlements built by the German settlers in the area beginning in the 12th century. The city is an outstanding testimony to the culture of the Transylvanian Saxons, that continue to exist due to its architectural and urban monuments. Still inhabited nowadays, the historic center of Sighisoara is the most representative mediaeval urban site of Transylvania, UNESCO listed in 1999 – it has preserved almost intact the city organization (street network, plot system) as well as the architectural worth of its constructions. Due to the slow economic development of the city over the years there is a high density of the monuments of architecture: the public buildings, the dwellings that make up the assemblage, as well as the fortifications conserved in a proportion of 90%, give to the area the aspect of a crystallized unique site of historic worth.

There’re plenty of reasons to visit the city: two gothic churches (13^th cent.) who preserved the original form, defensive towers (each with a different design), small cobbled narrow streets, the craftsmen’s houses that have preserved the planimetrically design, the original material and the initial structure.

Visit the medieval citadel of Sighisoara in the afternoon.

Accommodation in a charming 3* hotel, an old Saxon dwelling. After a long day we take the chance and enjoy a selection of wines from the region in the cellar.

The journey into the medieval Transylvania continues. Quaint villages lined with brightly painted stucco houses with rust-colored tile roofs, fortified churches and watchtowers, an architecture at once Classic and Romantic.  Furrowed fields in a patchwork, horse-drawn carts, forests brimming with wolves and bears and a sense that not only have we left behind the 20^th and 21^st centuries but even the late 18th is seeming a bit too hectic for this cultural landscape. This is the rural Transylvania.

Another UNESCO ecclesiastic establishment worth a visit: Biertan Fortified Church.

Founded during the 15^th – 16^th centuries, the church features a Late Gothic predominant architectural style with Romanesque elements. Submitted to UNESCO as early as 1993, its importance resides mainly from the fact that it was the see of the Transylvanian Lutheran Church for roughly three centuries (1572 – 1867). The church was built in the middle of the village and dominates the landscape of the surrounding area. It has three fortification walls, linked by gate towers, eight towers and the church itself was equipped from the very beginning with solid defensive elements.

Arriving at Sibiu in the afternoon. Our interest here is the Historic Centre and its Ensemble of Squares, added on the UNESCO Tentative list in 2004.

Covering almost 80ha, the place displays an extensive stock of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture, as well as examples of late 19th to early 20th century date (the Interwar period). The plot shapes, layout and organization of the larger merchants' houses in the upper town, with their large courtyards behind, are also distinctive. The evolution of the city from its initial strategic stronghold protecting a rural settlement to a mercantile and artisan center and powerful regional capital city is expressed in the important collection of vernacular buildings, to be seen especially in the lower town.

Our sighs are enchanted by beautiful old architecture of the residential, ecclesiastic or military constructions from the Old Center. We mention a large variety of churches (14^th century Evangelical Cathedral, 17^th century Jesuit Roman-Catholic Cathedral, 20^th century Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral, 18^th century Calvin Church), the historical buildings that are bordering the squares of the center (the Large, Small and Huet Squares), the ensemble of fortifications with 3 belts and defensive towers (the Fat tower, the Stairs tower, others being named upon the guilds - The Potters, Goldmkers, Carpenters).

Accommodation at a centrally located place – a beautiful blend that offers charm and intimacy, comfort and hospitality.

We’re leaving Transylvania and head South over the Carpathian Mountains, driving the most scenic and spectacular mountain road in Romania, the Transfagarasan (note: the road is open only between July 1^st to November 1^st; during the low season we follow and alternative road, along the Olt river defile).

Getting to Wallachia we stop at Curtea de Arges. The ruins and ecclesiastic buildings from the town of Curtea de Arges, the ancient capital of Wallachia have been included in the UNECSO Tentative List in 1991.

A first set of important constructions is made up of the ruins of the Princely Court (13^th-16^th centuries) and the princely church of Saint-Nicolas, built in 1340-1376 as a "Greek cross" and preserving almost entirely the original painting, whose artistic qualities place it among the most important examples of 14^th century painting. The set is completed by the ruins of the church of "Saint Nicoara" (15^th century).

The second objective, the church of the former monastery of Arges (1512-1517), decorated in richly carved stone, has a triconch plan with four domes, and an enlarged narthex, serving at the same time as a princely necropolis (for the founder – St. Neagoe Basarab and other heads of Wallachia, as well as for the Royal Family of Romania). The monument constitutes an architectural archetype for a series of monastic constructions, representative princely foundations, until the 18^th century.

Return to Bucharest in the afternoon.