Teleorman: Plain of the Peasant Novels
Travel guide · editorialA trip to Teleorman takes you into the Romania of the great peasant novels. The county, set in the Wallachian Plain, is flat, wide-open, and shaped by agriculture; the Danube flows along its southern edge, with Bulgaria on the opposite bank.
Landscape and Life
Teleorman means roughly "crazy forest" in Turkish, a nod to the dense oak forests that once covered the plain. Today it is mostly fields of wheat, corn, and sunflowers, crossed by the Vedea and Teleorman rivers. The villages stretch out along the roads, with wells, gardens, and benches by the front gates where neighbors sit in the evening. The county is among the most rural and sparsely populated areas of southern Romania, and many young people have moved away. That is exactly why you can see an unvarnished, rural Romania here: horse carts on the dirt tracks, storks on the utility poles, and village festivals with hora dancing in summer.
Towns and Sights
The county seat, Alexandria, was founded in 1834 and named after Prince Alexandru Ghica; its checkerboard street grid, the cathedral, and the county museum are among its few sights. Literature lovers head to Siliștea-Gumești, the home village of Marin Preda. It is the setting of his novel "Moromeții" (The Morometes), a classic about the life of a peasant family before and after the war; a memorial house honors the author. Zaharia Stancu, who wrote the novel "Barefoot," also came from Teleorman. On the Danube you will find Turnu Măgurele, with the ruins of the ancient and medieval fortress of Turris opposite Nikopol in Bulgaria, and Zimnicea, where a ferry crosses to Svishtov. Roșiorii de Vede is a railway hub with a small town center.
Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit
In the countryside the cooking is simple and hearty: ciorbă de perișoare (sour soup with meatballs), ghiveci vegetable stew, chicken with garlic sauce (mujdei), and polenta. In summer there are melons and tomatoes straight from the field. The best time to visit is spring, when the plain is green, as well as September; in July and August it is often hot, with temperatures above 95°F. Alexandria lies about 56 miles southwest of Bucharest and is easy to reach via the DN6.