Acasă > Experiences > Outdoor experiences > Prahova Jewels I – Churches, Mansions, Museums and Wineries Our recommendations
Our recommendations:Bellu Mansion, Jercălăi Monastery, Museum of the Stone, Tohani Winery
Half-day trip: round trip, approx. 125 km
Less beaten tracks, which you will go through almost breathlessly, await you. In a few minutes, you arrive in Urlați, a town inextricably linked to viticulture and a famous personality: the talented photographer and collector, Baron Alexandru Bellu.
You can start the visit with the fortified gazebo that offers a fascinating view of the surroundings and houses the Baron’s cameras but also many of his photographs, taken in Urlați. Then walk on the romantic alleys of the estate until you reach the Museum, ie the former guest house, built in old Romanian style. The porch still bears the original floor. Inside, you can admire the Turkish Salon with its wonderful oriental decor, the Japanese Salon, where tea was served and the Central Salon, where we find the piano that George Enescu played so many times. Numerous other valuables are on display in the museum rooms.
Only 4 km separate the Bellu Museum from the next stop, the Jercălăi Monastery, where the slender silhouette of a wooden church with an incredible story will surprise you. Built in Maramureș style, the church traveled from Reghin to Bran Castle and then arrived here, in Jercălăi.
Over three centuries old, the wooden church was “enriched” with murals dating back to 1700, a miracle-working icon of the Virgin Mary, brought from the Holy Sepulcher and a coffin with Holy Relics from Bethlehem. In the southern part of the church, there is a large 400 years old stone cross, brought from Dobrogea, which marks the place where the altar of an older church once was.
Do not forget to inspect the Monastery winery, to taste the liturgical wine, a natural, clear and pleasant drink.
From here, we recommend you go to Sângeru. In just half an hour, you will cover the 20 km and reach the Museum of the Stone.
The center of the earth for the late poet Lucian Avramescu, owner and initiator of this museum, Sângeru is his native village. This fascinating place is an expression of the deep connection that the poet felt with the stone. The museum stretches over the entire property, both outside and inside. It includes over 3,000 works in stone, made by rural artists or nature, placed inside the house and in three consecutive yards. The children will enjoy visiting a mini-farm with chickens, peacocks, a ram called Burebista, Cameroonian goats, a pony and others.
We suggest you end the journey on prestigious bacchic notes. The Prahova County wineries, as well as the one from Casa Timiș, are internationally famous, successfully representing the special terroir of Dealu Mare. A tasting of selected wines, at Tohani, could be the perfect conclusion to this soulful trip.
For more unique information about the objectives of this tour, check out our blog.
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