Oltenia below the mountain is an area that is distinguished by a great variety and denied of natural and cultural-historical tourist attractions scattered among the hills and peaks, in the valleys, depressions and peaks at the southern foothills of the Carpathians meridional, from Olt to the Danube.
We refer here only to the Valcean part of this region, located on the territory of Vaideeni, Horezu, Costești, Bărbătești, Stoenești and Băile Olănești, located at the foot of the Căpățănii Mountains and having the National Park in the middle Buila-Vanturarita.
The area is characterized by a relief predominated by hills and mountains with forests and alpine meadows crossed from north to south by the rivers that gather towards Olt the waters of the Căpățănii Mountains.
The natural attractions of the area are concentrated especially in the Buila-Vânturariţa National Park, which is also a Natura 2000 site and where there are 12 nature reserves for the protection of gorges, caves, virgin forests, karst landscapes, habitats and protected species.
In Geoparc, 3 nature reserves are also available: the Costești Trovant Museum, the Mosoroasa and Radița-Mânzu Trovant.
In the immediate vicinity of the territory of the Geopark, there are two more nature reserves: the pyramids of Slătioara and Ocnele Mari
In addition to these, in the area the visitor can enjoy nature at every step, especially in Cheile Cernei, the crest of the Căpățănii mountains, the valleys of the rivers Cerna, Marița, Izvorul Rece, Luncavaț, Urșani, Râmești, Bisticioara, Bistrita, Costești, Otăsău, Cheia, Olănești.
In addition to the wonders of nature, Oltenia under the mountain is one of the richest areas in cultural objectives, especially churches, hermitages and monasteries. Here is the Hurezi Monastery, listed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Objectives.
At the foot of the Buila-Vânturariţa massif there are several ancient localities: Vaideeni commune (Cerna, Cornet, Izvoru Rece, Marița and Vaideeni), the town of Horezu (and the villages of Ifrimești, Râmești, Romanii de Jos, Romanii de Sus, Tănăsești and Urșani), Costeşti commune (Costeşti, Bistriţa, Pietreni and Văratici villages), Bărbăteşti commune (Bărbăți, Bodeşti, Negrăleşti and Bârzeşti villages), Stoeneşti commune (Bârlogu, Buduraști villages, Deleni, Dobriceni, Gruieni, Gruiu, Mogoșești, Neghinești, Piscu Mare, Popești, Stoenești, Suseni and Zmeuratu), the town of Băile Olăneşti (and the villages of Cheia, Tisa, Comanca, Gurguiata).
The presence of man in the settlements on the river valleys is very old. The Neolithic vestiges discovered in caves and around the first hearths of the villages attest to the habitation of these lands protected from calamities since ancient times. In Costeşti, the Ferigile culture, from the second Iron Age, was discovered. Two brothers, a man and his brother Litovoi, were leaders of the first feudal organizations in Wallachia (13th century). Man’s descendants are said to have founded Bărbăteşti.
In the national park, located next to it, there are the Bistrița and Arnota monasteries, the Pătrunsa and Pahomie hermitages, the two cave churches in the Bat Cave, the churches of the former Păpușa hermitages and 44 springs.
In the immediate vicinity, in the villages at the foot of the mountain, there are dozens of other historical and art monuments, among which the Hurezi Monastery, inscribed in the UNESCO material cultural heritage, but also the hermitages around it, the Culele from Măldărești, the churches of Lemn Marița, Grămești and Grușetu, the hermitages and monasteries of Iezer, Bradu, Gheaburi, Govora, from a wood, the churches in the villages of the region, the old houses, the workshops of craftsmen and many others.
In the mountainous and subcarpathian area of Oltenia, the main occupations were and are related to the use of available resources.
The sheep farming was and is an important occupation to which a lot of local customs, traditions and creations are linked, from the proud Olten carpets to the tasty cheeses, from the customs related to transhumance to the specific products of the stables.
Every spring the flocks climb to the ridges of the heads, and the activity resumes in the opposite direction every autumn when they descend from the mountains for the winter. Pastoral customs have been preserved especially in Vaideeni, a village with port and traditions brought from over the mountain, from Mărginimea Sibiului.
The specifics of the area, traditions, customs and crafts are closely related to the main occupations of the locals: shepherding, wood and stone processing, fruit growing, beekeeping.
The area is famous for pottery (the Horezu pottery is listed on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List). But it is also known for Olten carpets. The borangic from Stoenești occupies a special place, here the only business in the country where the borangic is produced in the traditional way and from the orchard of mulberries, growing silkworms, the thread is produced, from which the borangic cloth is woven, from which the borangic cloth is woven, from which I cut the traditional shirts and scarves. There are also other wooden handicrafts in the area, but also carpenters and carpenters, port and pastoral traditions, as well as traditional local products: fruits, brandy, cheeses, honey and other products derived from them.
The specific architecture of the area is based on the processing of wood and stone, the most accessible materials in the area of Oltenia below the mountain. The houses built here have a porch (prispa) in front, under which the cellar is usually located. The foundation is built of stone built with mortar, the walls are built of plastered wooden beams, the roofs are covered with shingles (sheets). Sheds (casoaie) and animal shelters (stables, haying) are also built of wood.
The area is one where you can actively spend your free time in nature, where you can discover and explore forests, mountain ridges but traditional villages and little-known monuments.
It is an ideal area for hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and ski touring.
