Painted Monasteries
Photo: Alessio Damato, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Painted Monasteries are in Southern Bukovina, in northern Romania. Their external walls are covered in authentic and unique fresco paintings, representing complete cycles of religious themes. Most of them have been nominated as UNESCO World Heritage sites and all lie in rural areas, surrounded by farms and a lovely countryside. Often (but not always) picturesque little villages lie next to them, established as people settled next to the road leading to the monasteries. Typically, they consist of nothing but farms and these hamlets have no center and no public transport. If you want to have a look around, an hour or so should easily be enough.
Get aroundUnless you care to bike your way around, your best bet is probably to rent a car, as public transport is lacking in these areas.
SeeGetting inside the monasteries will cost you 5 lei for each one. If you want to take pictures or videos inside the monastery walls, you are supposed to pay an extra 10 lei (Sep 2018).
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Painted Monasteries" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Alessio Damato, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons