The Weaving Women of Maramureș
Seeing these women keep the ancient weaving tradition alive makes you travel in time. The fabrics have both a decorative and a household role, and the techniques used vary.
At the Farmers’ Market in Bucharest — and How to Enjoy Life’s Flavors
As I write about farmers’ markets and their role in the urban environment, I am happy to write about those here, in Bucharest. So many options – and so much flavor!
Words: Lavinia Ionescu | Photos: Robert Blaj | December 2024
From Romania to the Arctic: A Photographer’s Journey to Protect Nature
Rareș Beșliu’s profound love and understanding of nature led him to create photographic projects highlighting the effects of climate change by drawing parallels between the Arctic region and Romania.
Words: Ioana Negoescu | Photos: Rareș Beșliu | November 2024
“Don’t Worry, We’ll Meet Again Someday” – A Journey Through Luminația, Romania’s Day of the Dead
Sometime around the end of October and the beginning of November, the villages of Transylvania and especially Maramureș celebrate Luminația: a day to remembrance the dead – and each village has its own customs.
Words & Photos: Mihnea Turcu | October 2024
Rominimal: A Musical Product
On one hand, rominimal is a subgenre of electronic dance music born within the Romanian scene, which has seen remarkable worldwide expansion. On the other hand, the concept has lost its original meaning. But like any myth, this one too has its own story.
Words: Dragoș Rusu | Illustration: Sorina Vazelina | September 2024
Sfântu Gheorghe: VENI, VIDI, AMAVI
Everyone has their own piece of paradise. Sfântu Gheorghe is mine, this village where the Danube kisses the sea. Light outlines every detail, giving it life and form. My annual journey here takes place in August – a week of films, sea, fish, and figs.
Words: Anca Dumitrescu | Photos: Alice Voinea | August 2024
Green Bucharest — A Journey into the Lively Beauty of the City
The city tells me the story of its plants, of their subtle charm. It sends me on a sensitive expedition in pursuit of its botanical beauty. I invite you to embark on a soulful tour and discover the city as a discreet garden.
Words: Lavinia Ionescu | Photos: Robert Blaj | July 2024
My Taste of Transylvania
I came to Taste of Transylvania, a gastronomic festival, to plunge into the unfamiliar – which showed that Transylvania, at least that weekend, was terroir, not territory; an instrument for promoting multiculturalism.
Words: Adriana Sohodoleanu | Photos: Adorjan Trucza | June 2024
Inside Romanian Design Week: What Does an Open City Mean to You?
Andrei Borțun, the creative entrepreneur behind Romanian Design Week (RDW), sees this year’s show as an opportunity to “unlock” the capital’s potential, posing a question to all of us – visitors and creators, locals and foreigners – to reflect on what it takes for a city to be truly open?
Words: Ioana Negoescu | Illustration: Doina Titanu | May 2024
Sacred Flames: Orthodox Easter in Rural Romania
Set at the beginning of spring, the Holy Week symbolizes the rebirth of inner life, the purification of the soul, and a fresh start. After the Night of the Resurrection, there is a renewed feeling of belonging to history, places, and time.
Words & Photos: Mihnea Turcu | May 2024
Empowering the Blind, One Pair of Glasses at a Time: A Conversation with Cornel Amariei, Founder of dotLumen
Have you ever wondered how it feels to be blind? There are over 40 million blind people in the world – and Cornel has taken on the task of helping them. He founded dotLumen to improve the mobility of people with visual disabilities worldwide.
Words & Photos: Andrea Dimofte | April 2024
Romanian Mucenici: Boiled, not baked, Mr. Bond
Every year, on March 9, we commemorate the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste through mucenici. Yet their cooking methods and styles tell different stories depending on who you ask.
Words: Adriana Sohodoleanu | Illustration: Doina Titanu | March 2024
Electronic Music under Communist Romania: The Sound of Resistance
While the communist government sought to control artistic expression, musicians found creative ways to express their dissent. Some musicians established themselves in the scene, making immense contributions.
Words: Dragoș Rusu | Illustration: Sorina Vazelina | February 2024
Casa Din Vale: Embracing Authenticity in the Heart of Maramureș
Roxana can’t hide her enthusiasm. It’s been six years since she and her husband Florin, gave their lives a good shake, leaving the comfort of the city to start a hospitality project in rural Maramureș.
Words & Photos: Lucía Blasco | January 2024
My First Dance with Romania’s Bear Dancers
The Bear Dances, an old tradition throughout the Balkan region, takes place around Christmas. Photographer and writer Mihnea Turcu explores his personal experience with them.
Words & Photos: Mihnea Turcu | December 2023
Bucharest Don’t Forget Me! Safe Spaces for the Queer Community
I often think about the safe spaces for the LGBTQAI+ community in my city. In a society where tensions towards my community are manifested locally and globally, I write about building bridges of dialogue and cooperation.
Words & Photos: Lavinia Ionescu | November 2023
The Danube Delta: Healing the Scars of Romania’s Greatest Natural Resource
The Danube is where millions of birds from Europe, Asia, and Africa come to nest – a paradise for birdwatchers. It is home to 360 bird species. People have inhabited it since ancient times without their footprints to matter. Yet today, we are in danger of destroying it in a fraction of a second.
Words: Catalin Gruia | Photos: Dan Dinu | October 2023
I’ll Have Some Cornbread, Please!
Like a warm hug, bread symbolizes comfort and connection. When it comes to corn-based Romanian dishes, cornbread is the underdog. And Lucreția and Ludovica are excited to prepare it – from scratch.
Words: Andrea Dimofte | Photos: Lucía Blasco | August 2023
SanThé, an Inclusive Teahouse by Olympic Champions
On my first visit to SanThé, my waitress is Mădălina. She is one of many people with Down syndrome that work here, Romania’s first teahouse where people with this disability serve – more than a half of whom are Olympic champions.
Words: Ina Țăranu-Hofnăr | Photos: Silviu Paun | August 2023
Making Art from Waste: A Conversation with Alina Teodorescu, from InContext
A forgotten town, Slanic Moldova has become a host to one of the country’s most innovative artistic initiatives. Alina talks about her contemporary art residency program and the importance of upcycling.
Words & Photos: Andrea Dimofte | August 2023
How Do You Like Your Coffee? A Taste of Romania’s Coffee Culture
Coffee culture has quickly evolved. This is an article on how coffee is consumed by the people around me, like my mother, and the specialty coffee my friends and I drink today.
Words: Maria Raicu | Photo: Bogdan Balaceanu | Illustration: Doina Titanu | August 2023
Burning Man’s Principles in Romania: A Conversation with Gabriel Muscalu
Burning Man: a music festival? No. A party in a desert? Maybe. A temporary city? Yes. Gabriel was struck by its power to change his perspective on life. Everything inspired him to bring its principles to Romania.
Words & Photo: Andrea Dimofte | August 2023
Conservation Carpathia: Bringing Us to the Wild Side
We talk to Christoph and Barbara Promberger about how they built Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC), one of Europe’s largest conservation projects, to protect and allow biodiversity to thrive.
Words: Lavinia Gogu & Andrea Dimofte | Photos: Bogdan Balaceanu | August 2023
Reinvention & Slow Living: A Conversation with Yuki Ichiro
Yuki is a small, family-run restaurant offering the most genuine Japanese experience in Bucharest; a relaxed setting with authentic Japanese flavors where everything is created with care and attention to detail.
Words: Lavinia Gogu | Photo: Bogdan Balaceanu | August 2023
“Wild Romania”: A Conversation with the Man Behind the Documentary
Dan Dinu, the director of Romania’s most famous wildlife documentary film “Wild Romania,” offers special images from spectacular regions, and singular stories about the country’s biodiversity.
Words: Catalin Gruia | Photos: Dan Dinu | August 2023
Connecting Forests with Music: a Conversation with Nico de Transilvania
For music producer Nico de Transilvania, the forest is a source of creative inspiration and a space to develop a noble mission: the reforestation of degraded landscapes.
Words: Lavinia Gogu | Photos: Marius Sumlea | August 2023
Vama Veche, a Journey Within
On a blistering hot mid-summer afternoon in 1999, I was dropped off by the side of a road. For the first time in my life, I was unknowingly entering the realm of Vama Veche, an enchanting journey into the deeper questions of life.