Qué hacer en Moldavia

Moldova is a landlocked country of rolling hills, orchards, vineyards and sunflower fields, with the Prut marking its border with Romania and the Dniester winding down its east. Chișinău, the capital, has a Soviet-era centre of wide avenues and parks, a triumphal arch beside the Nativity Cathedral, and a central park named after Stephen the Great.

Outside the capital, old limestone quarries have become wine cellars, with galleries stretching for many kilometres under the hills. Orheiul Vechi, a cliff-top site above the Răut River, has a cave monastery and ancient ruins, and Soroca, on the Dniester, has a round stone fortress built in the sixteenth century.

Mămăligă, a cornmeal porridge, comes with cheese and sour cream, and plăcinte, stuffed pastries, and sarmale, cabbage rolls, appear at every feast. Wine is the national pride, with a wine festival each October. The autumn harvest and spring blossom bring the best colour, and summers are warm.