COZIA MONASTERY

Right on the banks of the river Olt, this monastery is one of the most remarkable monuments of Romanian medieval architecture. The church was built by Mircea the Elder (Mircea cel Bătrân) in 1388. Mircea can be seen in knightly garb on one of the original frescoes in the nave. His tomb is also located here. Various elements and two chapels were added later, notably during the reign of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu. The monastery also includes a small museum displaying ^17th-century cult objects and manuscripts. The view of the complex from the banks of the river Olt is particularly impressive, with its white buildings resting on stone buttresses.

A little further north, on the other bank of the Olt, you'll see the ruins of a Roman fortress (castrum Arutela), built under Emperor Hadrian in 138.

Further north, on the same bank as the Roman fortress, the Turnu monastery was built in 1676 and rebuilt in 1933 after a fire. Nearby, monks' cells have been carved out of the rock.

Near the center of Călimănești, don't miss the Ostrov monastery, built in 1522 on an island in the middle of the Olt(ostrov means "river island"). A small bridge provides easy access. It features ^18th-century paintings. All around, the park, planted with trees and flowers, is very pretty. The location of the complex on the Olt river is truly privileged and well worth the detour.