Introducing Moldova
For a country that’s only vaguely known in Europe and all but anonymous to the rest of the world, Moldova has a cultural, political and economic, erm, ‘liveliness’ equalled by few. Regrettably, news briefs that emerge from the region are punctuated by tales of civil war, breakaway republics, organised crime, human trafficking and a curious return to communism.
Landlocked and bounded by Romania and Ukraine, with the ethnic divisions to prove it, Moldova has come a long way in a short time and is arguably more advanced than EU-friendly Romania in many respects. The tourism focus is indisputably the country’s wine industry, which produces staggeringly superb varietals and offers winery tours that will vanquish the stoutest of constitutions. Less celebrated are the attractions between the vineyards: sunflower fields, enormous watermelons, bucolic pastoral lands and the amazingly friendly people. Soberer diversions include remote monasteries cut into limestone cliffs and a rural backdrop inhabited by welcoming villagers.
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