After three days in bustling, busy Bucharest, I needed to find someplace with a bit more peace and quiet. That place was Suceava.
Nestled peacefully in the northeast corner of Romania, Suceava was once the capital of Moldova. Today around 100,000 live there making it large enough to offer plenty of interesting things to do but small enough to not be overwhelming. I set myself up in the very comfortable Daily Plaza Hotel at the end of Suceava’s very nice pedestrian walkway. Nice breakfast and excellent air conditioning (hey, I was visiting in the summer and it was hot!).
My friend Andrea today lives in Italy but was born and raised in Suceava. She was pretty excited about my going there so I followed her advice. Here is what I did.
One of Romania’s most loved treasures, the Painted Monasteries are collectively on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a well-deserved recognition of the history and beauty of these 15th and 16th century churches. Each one sports elaborate frescoes painted on the exterior of the church. Actually each set of frescoes follows a specific religious theme. Beyond the churches themselves, the grounds of the monasteries had beautifully tended gardens and respectful cemeteries. This made the site of each one a peaceful and tranquil space where thoughtful meditation comes quite easily. I was visiting about a week before the start of the high tourist season and imagine they do get pretty crowded, but that was not my experience. The were, simply put, beautiful and peaceful places.
Suceava Citadel
A very pleasant walk through a natural park ended at the 14th century citadel. In its history, the structure has been both a fortress and a royal residence, sitting on top of a hill and overlooking much of the present day city. Recently renovated and repaired, a high tech museum is now situated in the citadel. Not much information was available in English (other than books at the gift shop), so I likely missed some of the cooler historical facts. None the less, it is striking and picturesque. Well worth a visit.
A walk in the park was a great way to get to Suceava’s citadel.
And the citadel itself was stunning.
Of course, an important aspect of all my travels is the food. Suceava did not offer the variety or quality I had experienced in Bucharest, of course, but I did find some good meals and fun place to sit with a drink and watch the central pedestrian square.
Latino
An Italian restaurant just around the corner from my hotel. I have lived in Italy more than 25 years now, and consider myself pretty much an Italian food snob. So normally I don’t eat Italian while travelling. But I did this time and was happy with it. I consider that a pretty good endorsement.
Centru Vechi
Probably the best known of Suceava’s traditional restaurants, Andrea had suggested it before my trip, and the staff at my hotel did so as well. It had a very nice atmosphere, the staff were friendly and accommodating, the service was excellent. The food was adequate in my mind, but given the other things I just mentioned, I recommend a visit here.
Lovegan
I am a vegetarian and have been since 1993. I am not militant about it, and do not need to find a strictly vegetarian restaurant to be happy. But in Suceava, I was surprised and pleased to find this one (vegan, actually – not vegetarian). My experience with vegan restaurants has been lukewarm, I would say. But since I found Lovegan in Suceava, I thought I would give it a try. Great choice. It was the best meal I had during the three days I was in town.
After three different kinds of hummus, I ate a really terrific veggie burger! Yum.
Oscar Wilde Pub
They had a food menu here, but my purpose was simply to enjoy a cool drink and watch Suceava’s central square. It seemed like most of the 100,000 residents wandered through sometime during the three afternoons I sat there. They all seemed happy and content to enjoy thier lovely city. And I was sitting with a nice glass, so what’s not to like?
Locally brewed Silva beer was a winner!
My visit to Suceava gave me what I wanted – a slow down after the hustle of Bucharest. The painted monasteries are truly a thing of beauty and worth making a special visit to see.