Prahova’s jewels I – Churches, manors, museums and wineries

There are less beaten paths ahead, which you will walk through almost breathlessly. In just a few minutes, you reach Urlați, a town inextricably linked to viticulture and to a famous personality: the talented photographer and collector, Baron Alexandru Bellu. 

You can start the visit with the fortified gazebo that delivers a fascinating view of the surroundings and houses the Baron’s cameras but also many of his photographs, taken in Urlați. Then, you can walk around the romantic alleys of the estate until you reach the Museum, which was 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, as well as 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.

There are merely 4 km from Bellu Museum to the next stop, Jercălăi Monastery, where the slender silhouette of a wooden church with an incredible story will surprise you. Built in Maramureș style, the church was moved from Reghin to Bran Castle and, later, arrived here, in Jercălăi.