I went to Romania to celebrate my 59th Birthday! My friend Giuliano was the perfect host and showed me around his home country with highlights to Transylvania.
BUCHAREST
Bucharest is the capital and largest city of Romania, known for its mix of grand historic architecture, communist-era buildings, and a lively cultural scene. Once called the “Little Paris of the East,” the city developed rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leaving behind elegant boulevards, parks, and neoclassical buildings.
VISCRI VILLAGE
Viscri is a small historic village in the Transylvania region of Romania, famous for preserving traditional rural life and Saxon architecture. Founded around the 11th–12th centuries, it developed around a fortified church originally built by early settlers and later expanded by Transylvanian Saxons, becoming one of the best-preserved fortified churches in the region. UNESCO recognized the village and its church as part of the Transylvanian Saxon fortified church heritage sites, highlighting its cultural and historical importance.
Today, Viscri is known for its colorful traditional houses, cobbled streets, and slow-paced agricultural lifestyle that reflects centuries-old customs. The village has fewer than 500 residents and maintains traditional crafts, farming practices, and community life largely unchanged by modern development.
Giuliano & I stayed with a family in a traditional farmhouse with local cooking.
VISCRI FORTIFIED CHURCH
Viscri Fortified Church is one of the best-preserved examples of Transylvanian Saxon fortified churches. Originally built in the 12th century as a small Romanesque church by the Szekler community, it was later expanded and fortified by Saxon settlers in the 13th–16th centuries to serve both as a place of worship and as a defensive refuge during invasions. Thick defensive walls, towers, and storage rooms allowed villagers to shelter inside the complex during attacks.
SIGHISOARA
Sighișoara is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Transylvania. Founded in the 12th century by German Saxon settlers, the town is known for its colorful houses, narrow cobbled streets, and fortified hilltop citadel surrounded by defensive walls and towers built by medieval craft guilds.
The historic center, known as the Sighișoara Citadel, features landmarks such as the iconic Clock Tower, which served as the town’s main gate and still houses a history museum. The town is also famous as the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, the 15th-century ruler who inspired the legend of Count Dracula.
RUPEA CASTLE
Rupea Citadel is a large medieval fortress built on a basalt hill overlooking the town of Rupea in Transylvania. First mentioned in historical records in 1324, the citadel was expanded over several centuries and served as a strategic defensive stronghold and refuge for local villagers during invasions and conflicts.
The fortress is built in three defensive tiers—Upper, Middle, and Lower—connected by gates, walls, and towers. Inside the complex are courtyards, storage rooms, and a deep well that once supplied water during sieges. After periods of decline, the citadel was extensively restored in the 2010s and reopened to visitors.
BRASOV
Brașov a historic city in the Transylvania region of Romania, surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains. Founded by Saxon settlers in the 13th century, it became an important medieval trading center and still preserves much of its old-world charm through cobbled streets, colorful buildings, and well-preserved fortifications.
The city’s main square, Council Square, is lined with baroque buildings and overlooked by the famous Black Church, the largest Gothic church in Eastern Europe. Nearby landmarks include the medieval city walls, defensive towers, and Tampa Mountain, which rises above the city and offers panoramic views.
PELES CASTLE
Peleș Castle is one of Romania’s most beautiful and elaborate royal residences, located in the Carpathian Mountains near the town of Sinaia. Built between 1873 and 1914 for King Carol I of Romania, the castle served as a summer residence for the Romanian royal family.
Designed in a Neo-Renaissance style with influences from German and Italian architecture, the castle is richly decorated with ornate wood carvings, stained glass, and lavishly themed rooms. It was also highly modern for its time, featuring electricity, central heating, and a retractable glass roof in the main hall.
BUCHAREST II
THANKS GIULIANO for showing me your country!