Romania - Eastern Europe - page 531

($144-$166/£77-£32) apt. Rates include breakfast. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; lounge; fitness center; sauna;
massage; 24-hr. room service; laundry. In room:TV, minibar.
WHERE TO DINE
Built into the side of one of the city walls, reached via a set of steps between Str. Tur-
nului and Pia $ a Huet, is Pivnita de vinuri “Weinkeller” (Str. Tunrului 2; & 0269/
21-0319; Tues-Sun noon-midnight), a wine cellar-cum-restaurant with traditional
German dishes and light meals (like quiche Lorraine and cold meat-and-cheese plat-
ters) and an extensive wine list with vintage indicated on a map, so you'll learn a bit
about where they've come from.
Crama Sibiul Vechi TRANSYLVANIAN One of the top places in the
country for authentic Transylvanian food, this unpretentious 100-year-old restaurant
is loved by locals—and for good reason. Hidden away on a side street off Str. Nicolae
B â lcescu, Sibiul Vechi occupies a late-15th-century cellar decorated in traditional “vil-
lage style” and prides itself on the authenticity of the experience; waiters are in tradi-
tional costume getup, and even the plates and wine goblets are handcrafted. There's
not much reason to study the menu: Without any hesitation (unless you're vegetar-
ian), order the Shepard's Bag (traista ciobanului), a chicken breast parcel stuffed full of
sliced sausage, salami, and cheese, and served with grilled polenta—it's fantastic. Alter-
natives are more or less all meaty: peasant's stew (ladled into your bowl at the table),
mu @ chi de pork Sibiu (pork filet, Sibiu-style), Transylvanian mixed grill, or even creier
pane (deep fried brains in a light batter).
Str. Papiu Ilarian 3. & 0269/21-3985. www.sibiulvechi.ro. Main courses L8.50-L21.50 ($3.05-$7.75/£1.65-£4.10).
MC, V. Daily 11am-midnight.
EXPLORING SIBIU
Sibiu's interesting bits stretch between Pia $â Mic â in what is known as “ Lower
Town,” and Pia $ a Unirii, situated at the junction of Sibiu's charming medieval heart
and pulsing modern city. Pia $â Mic â (“small” square), once the commercial center of
the city— Casa Artelor at the northern end of the square originally dates from 1370
when it was a market hall—is surrounded on all sides by a lovely collection of build-
ings freshly coated in a palette of flash pastels. Of the prettiest is Casa Luxemburg,
now occupied by several decent bars, a tourist shop, and guesthouse (see “Where to
Stay,” above), and right near the famous Liar's Bridge —so named because (among
other fanciful reasons) it will apparently collapse if you tell a fib while standing on it;
apparently no one has dared test the theory since it was constructed in 1859. The
bridge links Pia $ a Mic â to adjacent Pia $ a Huet, at the center of which stands the mon-
umental Evangelical Cathedral (reviewed below). Pia $â Huet's southern end is in
turn linked with Pia $ a Mare, the “big” town square and once the social hub of the
original walled city, where—among other crowd-pulling activities—executions were
carried out. This marks the end of “Lower Town.”
Set aside an hour to explore the city's top attraction, located on Pia $ a Mare—the
Brukenthal Palace, with its famous art museum (reviewed below)—as well as the
Roman Catholic Cathedral, built by the Jesuits (1726-33), in the baroque style (the
statue out front memorializes the peasants who fought in the uprisings of 1848). Between
the palace and the church is the gorgeously impressive headquarters of the Banca Agri-
cola, and in the northwestern corner of the square, the Council Tower (1588).
Stretching southwest of Pia $ a Mare is pedestrianized Strada Nicolae B â lcescu,
established in 1492 and lined with shops, cafes, galleries, and a couple of side streets

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