School to train travel guides for European cultural routes
A school training travel guides for the European cultural routes is likely to open at the former Varbila Monastery, dating from 1530, and which is the oldest Middle Age convent in the Prahova County (south), and it has been rehabilitated based on a EU funded-project.
«We plan to open a travel guide school, here. I am both the project manager and a member of the European Council for the Village and Small Town (ECOVAST) European Committee that scientifically guarantees the entire demarche. We want to call travel agents, here, train them and certify them as European Culture guides, and thus the Monastery will keep on playing a cultural role», – Architect Calin Hoinarescu explains.
According to him the Varbila Monastery will become a centre promoting the cultural tourism and a repertoire of the Romanian travel routes has been already drawn up, and it will be added regional and local sightseeing places, soon.
«The routes we have suggested are of interest to three countries. To be homologated, a European cultural route must be of interest to three countries, and we have an area of Byzantine spirituality, here, and therefore we suggested to be named Byzantine Resonances, and it is of interest to Greece and Bulgaria, as well. When we all organize our teams, we'll go and register it in Luxembourg, at the EU Directorate for Culture Routes», – Hoinarescu said, adding that the Romanian, the Greek and the Bulgarian experts have already met and agreed that it is good to promote the route.
The Medieval Monastery of Varbila is located on the Road of the Wine, a route which is 58 km long, runs across famous vineyards of the Prahova County, includes haling places at former Middle Age mansions and royal courts and monasteries situated in four localities.
The Varbila Monastery is situated about 20 km, far from Ploiesti (60 km north of Bucharest), it has the Assumption as a dedication day, and it used to be the worship and rest place of Prince Michael the Brave (1558-1601).
Adapted from AGERPRES