Cooking story in Moldova

1 ^st Day

Arrival in Chisinau

Included highlights:

• Museum of Natural History and Ethnography,
• the Central Park and the Alley of Moldovan literature classics,
• the monument of Steven the Great and Saint,
• Great National Assembly Square,
• the Triumph Arch,
• the “Nativity” Cathedral,
• the Organ Hall,
• the Market of souvenirs, etc.
• Welcome dinner and introduction in the peculiarities of Moldovan cuisine

Included meals:

• Dinner

2 ^nd Day

Meet the old Russian believers

Included highlights:

• Drive to the north of the country, to meet the old Russian believers community being quite isolated, trying to keep their traditions alive. They came to the region about 200 years ago, settled down here and since then, they form a quite prosperous village.
• Have lunch in an old believer family, discuss about Old Russian recipes and taste several original dishes. For desert, we will get the highlight taste of the day - local homemade raspberry jam, unique in the world.
• Continue to Soroca
• Visit one of the must see sights of Soroca:“The Gypsy Hill” that features mansions inspired by the Bolshoi theatre, St Peter's Basilica and the US Capitol building. We shall visit a Gypsy family, who will proudly share their culture and traditions with us.
• Possibility to try a traditional Gypsy desert and their homemade “compot” (juice made of boiled fresh fruits).
• Free dinner and accommodation in Soroca.

Included meals:

• Breakfast
• Lunch

3 ^rd Day

A special cooking lesson

Included highlights:

• Visit the Soroca fortress, a unique monument of architecture, built in the Medieval Ages at the Dniester River bend as part of a huge Moldovan defensive system. Initially wooden, it was built of stone at the end of 15thcentury according to the “Golden Section” supreme law of harmony that made it unique among the examples of European military architecture.
• Drive to Chateau Vartely, considered one of the best Moldovan wineries from the Center of our Republic.
• Have a light lunch at Chateau Vartely Winery, with wine tasting that will also include their flag product – the ice wine.
• Prepare the best known Moldovan dish – “sarmale”. The group will be split in 2 teams: one will make sour cabbage rolls filled with rice and meat. The second team will do the same, but rolls of grape leaves. After we prepare everything, the hostess will put them in the oven for 3 hours at least
• Touring the Archeological Complex Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei)
• Visit the cave monastery in the neighborhood. This Cave Monastery is "arguably Moldova's most fantastic sight". Here you’ll see an Orthodox cave monastery called “St. Maria Dormata” expanded and modified inside the cliffs by the monks over the centuries and preserved in a functional state nowadays.
• Go for dinner where we will enjoy local food, local plum brandy , local wines and obviously we will eat our “sarmale“.
• Accommodation in Butuceni Eco Resort.

Included meals:

• Breakfast
• Lunch with wine tasting
• Dinner

4 ^th Day

Another cooking lesson

Included highlights:

• Learn about the Moldovan traditional costumes and ethnographic customs at "Casa Parinteasca" Craft Centre from Palanca village.
• Learn how to bake bread in a wood-fired oven and a traditional forgotten desert – Alivanca.
• Visit the Honey Museum from Raciula, learn about the life of bees, taste different kinds of honey and other honey products.
• Coming back to ”Casa Parinteasca” Museum we will enjoy a very special lunch, trying also the bread and desert we have made. Traditional dishes will be served with the best local wine, while the organic herbal tea, accompanied by quince jam which will surprise you with its amazing taste.
• Visit 1-2 monasteries from the region,
• Continue to Chisinau,
• Free dinner and accommodation.

Included meals:

• Breakfast
• Lunch

5 ^th Day

Next cooking adventure

Included highlights:

• Visit the very new renovated – Castle Mimi, which is currently listed among the most beautiful architectural masterpieces in the world of wine. The story of the castle begins in 1893 when Constantin Mimi, the last governor of Bessarabia, planted the first grape vines on the place that would become legend over the years.
• Excursion, wine tasting and lunch in the castle.
• Learn how to cook the famous Moldavian “Placinte” - pies with cheese, potatoes and cabbage at Et Cetera Winery.
• Meanwhile the pies will bake in the oven, we shall visit the Purcari winery. Purcari is the oldest wine estate in Moldova, established in 1827. The winery has a long and proud history producing some of Moldova’s most iconic wines i.e. Negru de Purcari and Rosu de Purcari.
• Excursion and wine tasting at Purcari Chateau
• Come back to Et Cetera to enjoy our dinner. The vineyards of ’Et Cetera‘ were planted in 2003 in the village of Crocmaz, with a unique micro-zone, ideal by its climatic condition for growing best vineyards. The winery was built in 2009 and now 50 ha of vineyards surround it, giving a picturesque view to the visitors. Et Cetera is one of the best wineries in Moldova, if not the best one, as in 2016 they won second price at Decanter World Wine Awards with their Chardonnay.
• Accommodation in Et Cetera and Purcari Chateau.

Included meals:

• Breakfast
• Lunch with wine tasting
• Dinner

6 ^th Day

Day trip in Odessa

Included highlights:

• Full Guided Sightseeing Odessa Tour. Odessa is acknowledged Ukrainian intersection point of diverse cultures, languages and trades.
• Witness masterpieces of architecture, such as famous
• Opera and Ballet theatre, designed by Viennese architects,
• Potemkin Stairs,
• Primorsky boulevard,
• the One-wall building.
• Enjoy the view of Sea Port Terminal,
• Get acquainted with Odessa Port’s history, its present life and prospects from the upside,
• See the Monument to Duke De Richelieu - the founder of Odessa,
• The Monument to Catherine the Great empress-the founder of Odessa etc. Lunch and coming back to Moldova.

Included meals:

• Breakfast
• Lunch

7 ^th Day

7

Included highlights:

• Have a Cheese tasting at Popeasca farm. This is one of the first few registered cheese trademarks made organically in Moldova. The sheep run freely on the fields here, the cheese produced is either salted, or flavored with small cut bell peppers, herbs or spices to produce a special taste...
• Arrive in Chisinau,
• Free time for lunch,
• City tour of Chisinau.
• Special farewell dinner in a local wine bar specialized in promoting quality Moldovan wines produced by small producers.

Included meals:

• Breakfast
• Dinner

8 ^th Day

Departure home

Included highlights:

Check out. Transfer to the airport.

Included meals:

Breakfast