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2 best places to visit Branesti Cellar “Stone Age” and Orheiul Vechi Moldova

1-day excursion

Dear our guests “Be our Guest” you have the opportunity to visit the most beautiful and famous places in our country, this excursion will start from Chisinau and we go to the picturesque and long history Old Orhei, the hills and peaks here will fascinate you enormously plus the 1 hour trip to the famous and holy shrine where we have to walk on foot.

today we’ll visit one of the most picturesque sites of Moldova – the Cultural and Natural Reserve “Orheiul Vechi” (Cave Monastery Complex) – 55 km from Chisinau. Here you will see an Orthodox cave monastery called “St. Maria Dormata” expanded and modified inside the cliffs by the monks over the centuries ago and preserved in a functional state.

This territory has been inhabited since early times. In this place, many cities were built. The first city founded here was called Orhei. The name Orhei means “fortification”. Then at the beginning of the 14th century, the Golden Horde conquered this territory. The name of the archaeological reservation derives from the name of that medieval city, thus “Old Orhei”.

The museum complex Old Orhei is a system of historical monuments and natural landscapes. It consists of a few promontories. The central promontory in Old Orhei is called Pestere. Its name derives from the many caves carved in it (‘Pestere’ is Romanian for ‘caves’). The Butuceni headland is part of the Old Orhei as well. Together with the Pestere promontory, it creates a complex harmony from every point of view. The Butuceni promontory is great from both the geological and esthetic points of view. It has many calcareous slates, spacious caves, and small grottos. The wonderful view and ancient traces are impressive.

Old Orhei is famous for the cave monasteries located there. This zone was ideal for the primary monasticism of early Christian community. It was isolated from the outer world. At the time when Christians came here, there were been smaller and bigger caves in the calcareous rocks cut by pre-historic tribes living on this territory. At Old Orhei there are several monumental stone constructions which are of interest to both scientists and ordinary people. The oldest fortified construction at Old Orhei is the Gaetic fortress. It is located on the Butuceni promontory. The fortress is connected to the surrounding area by a narrow passage. In case of attack, it was easy to block access. The place was ideal for building a fortress.

Next, you will enjoy an excursion, wine tasting and lunch at Pivnitele din Brane? ti winery located in the forest near Orheiul Vechi in Branesti village.

Wine tasting and lunch at Pivnitele from Brane winery located in the forest near Orheiul Vechi in Branesti village. It has 50 km of underground cellars, reaching to depths of 60 m beneath the surface. There are two tasting halls at Branesti, one of which is located underground. The halls are decorated with wood and metal that reproduce images related to vine cultivation and winemaking. You will have lunch at the Stone Age Complex of Pivnitele from Branesti winery where thanks to the absence of internet and mobile communications you can escape from civilization and city noise.

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