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The city of Iasi and the monasteries of Bucovina (excursion prices at the bottom of the page)
This visit is led by Alfredo Ferrari
Awarded as the best Tourist Guide 2024 by the Moldovan Government
[Excursion lasting 2 days. with overnight stay in Gura Humorului - Hotel Best Western**** or equivalent]
First day:
08:00 Meeting with the guide and departure by "deluxe" minibus for Iasi passing through the Sculeni border
11:00 am Arrival in Iasi and visit of the city with special stops at the Church of the Three Hierarchs, the most famous monument in the city, a masterpiece of mature religious art in Moldova, and at the Goliath Church, one of the most interesting monuments in the region
1.30pm Lunch in a restaurant in the city, at the end departure for the Bucovina region
4.00 pm Visit to the Monastery of Humor and the Church of Voronet, known as "the jewel of Bucovina" and also "the Sistine Chapel of the East". In the evening we reach Gura Humorului. Accommodation in reserved rooms, dinner and overnight stay.
Second day: breakfast at the hotel
09:00 Departure for a full day to complete the visit to the Monasteries of Bucovina, perhaps the most interesting itinerary in Romania, certainly the most important for art. Bucovina experienced its golden age under the reigns of Stephen the Great and Petru Rares from 1457 to 1546, the first defenders of Christianity against the Muslims. Visit to the Moldovita Monastery, called "parchment sheet immersed in the blue", to the Sucevita Monastery, the "green jewel", placed between rolling hills and meadows, surrounded by walls, the best preserved in Romania. Second breakfast during the excursion near the Sucevita Monastery. Visit to the artisanal ceramic and terracotta factory of Marginea. Continuation to the Putna Monastery, founded for his own burial by Stephen the Great in 1466.
Around 18:00 Departure for the return to Chisinau scheduled for 23:00.
Iasi is the capital of the county of the same name and the capital of the Romanian Moldavia (or Moldova) region, but historically also of all that part of Moldavia that today is no longer a territory belonging to the Romanian state. With its 317,812 inhabitants, it is, after Bucharest, the second most populous municipality in the country. It has been the capital of the Principality of Moldavia since 1565 when Prince Alexandru Lapusneanu moved it here from Suceava. Later, between 1859 and 1862, together with Bucharest, it represented the capitals of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which was then the basis of the modern state of Romania, recognized in 1862, with the capital established in Bucharest. Over the centuries, the city of Iasi has been burned several times: in 1513 by the Tartars, in 1538 by the Ottomans, in 1686 by the troops of the Russian Empire, and in 1734 it was struck by the plague. During the First World War it once again became the capital of the country that on 6 December 1916 had suffered the occupation of Wallachia by the Central Powers and, once Bucharest was liberated in November 1918, the capital was once again and definitively transferred. In May 1944 Iasi was the scene of fierce battles between the Romanians, supported by Nazi Germany, against the advancing Soviet Red Army. In the battle of Targu Frumos, near Iasi, the elite Nazi Panzergrenadier unit obtained an important victory that, however, did not prevent the capitulation of the city that same year. In the post-war years the city's fate was the same as Romania's, even if in the 1989 revolution it was the least involved among the country's large cities.
Humor Monastery Location: Humor village, 5 km from Gura Humorului, Suceava.
Humor Monastery was built in 1530 by the chancellor Teodor Bubuiog. In 1535 the mural painting was made by Toma from Suceava, a famous painter of that time, and has as its central motif the Siege of Constantinople. The dominant color is the red-brick. In 1641 the Regent Vasile Lupu added the bell tower. Humor Monastery houses an important collection of icons dating back to the sixteenth century.
Voronet Monastery Location: Voronet, 38 km from Suceava.
The monastery was built in just 3 months and 3 weeks in 1488, by regent Stephen the Great. In 1547, under the control of Metropolitan Grigore Rosca, the portico was added. The internal painting was carried out between 1535 and 1543, but the international fame of the monastery is due to the external painting carried out in 1547. Voronet is considered as "the Sistine Chapel of the East" this is due to the magnificent frescoes, particularly those on the western wall, where The Last Judgment is represented. “Voronet blue” has been added to the art world lexicon alongside colors like Rubens’ “Titian red” and “Veronese green.” The bell tower has two bells that were donated to the monastery by Stephen the Great, and when rung they seem to call out the founder's name.
Putna Monastery Location: Putna village, 72 kilometers away from Suceava. Putna Monastery was the first monastery built by the regent Stephen the Great. Construction took place between 1466 and 1469. In 1481 the monastery was fortified (the defense walls and the Gate Tower were added). In 1484 it was damaged by fire but in 1498 Stephen the Great financed the restoration. Destroyed during the assault in 1653, the monastery church was rebuilt between 1654 and 1662 during the regency of Vasile Lupu, Gheorghe Stefano and Eustratie Dabija. The only remaining building from the period of Stephen the Great is the Exchange Tower. The church houses the tomb of Stephen the Great, those of his two wives: Maria Voichita and Maria de Mangop and also those of his descendants up to Petru Rares. The icon brought from Constantinople by Maria de Mangop is considered miraculous. The monastery museum has a large collection of religious manuscripts and books, icons and religious objects.
Moldovita Monastery Location: Vatra Moldovitei village, in the Campulung Moldovenesc area.
Moldovita Monastery was built between 1402 and 1410 by Alexander the Good. At the beginning of the sixteenth century the monastery collapsed due to a landslide. In 1532 the regent Petru Rares built a new monastery at a distance of 500m further south than the old one. The Regent had it surrounded with turrets and strong protective walls. The exterior painting was done in 1537 by Toma da Suceava. On the south wall we can admire The Siege of Constantinople, the Jesus Tree, a group of some famous ancient philosophers.
Sucevita Monastery Location: Sucevita village, 49 kilometers away from Suceava.
The Sucevita Monastery was founded by Gheoghe Movila, bishop of Moldavia between 1581 and 1584. Later, his brother, Ieremia Movila fortified the monastery by adding defense walls and turrets. The frescoes were created by two painters, Ioan and Sofronie between 1595 and 1596. The external painting has dark green as its dominant colour. On the north wall the Scala delle Virtù is described, which symbolizes the struggle between good and evil; on the south wall appears the Tree of Life. Sucevita Monastery is the burial place of Movila's family. The monastery museum is of great value and displays, among other things, some embroidery made with gold and silver threads, silk threads and pearls which date back to the fifteenth or sixteenth century. The most important are the portraits of Ieremia and Simion Movila and an epitaph embroidered with pearls.
Excursion time: Every day departing at 08.00 from your hotel or accommodation in Chisinau
Number of participants
Lunch and Dinner
Price per person
