Olt

A trip to Olt County takes you into the heart of the Wallachian plain. The Olt River divides the land from north to south, and along its banks you'll find old monasteries, remains of Roman cities, and two towns with very different characters.

The Landscape of the Lower Olt

The county stretches from the gently rolling hills in the north down to the Danube at Corabia, where the Olt flows into the great river. In between, broad fields of corn, sunflowers, and vegetables unfold, interrupted by rows of poplars and reservoirs. Historically, the western part belonged to Oltenia and the eastern part to Greater Wallachia—the river was long both a border and a link between the two.

Slatina, Caracal, and Sights

The county seat, Slatina, sits on a terrace above the Olt and is best known as the home of the country's largest aluminum plant. Worth a visit are Clocociov Monastery on the edge of town and the churches of the old town; from the riverside promenade you look out over the broad river. About 50 kilometers southwest lies Caracal, once the main town of the historic Romanați County. Here you'll find the neoclassical National Theater, one of the most beautiful theater buildings in southern Romania, and the ruins of the princely court of Michael the Brave. Near Reșca, archaeologists have been excavating the Roman city of Romula for decades, an important center of the province of Dacia. In the north of the county, Brâncoveni Monastery is worth a stop for its ties to Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu: his family came from the village of the same name, and the prince had the complex magnificently expanded in the late 17th century. On the Danube, finally, Corabia is a quiet little port town with a view across to the Bulgarian shore.

Food, Getting There, and the Best Time to Visit

The cuisine is hearty Oltenian country fare: ghiveci vegetable stew, sarmale, grilled mici, and fresh fruit from the market. The area around Caracal is known for its watermelons and tomatoes. The best times to visit are spring and September; in July and August the plain becomes oppressively hot. Slatina lies on the rail line and the road between Pitești and Craiova, and it's about 190 kilometers to Bucharest.