Moldova

Commended Entry: "Moldova" by Luca Ciripitca from the UK

This article was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Essay Competition 2020 in the Senior Category 12-15 years.

Moldova

As the plane descends, a spectacular sight comes into view. For miles in all directions, fields and vineyards stretch out between the green rolling hills. Then, as the plane lands, all the passengers burst into applause, praising the pilot’s smooth landing. You have arrived at Chisinau Airport.

As you leave the airport, you drive between two towering white buildings, each one getting taller and taller until the road passes between them. These are the Gates of the City. After passing them, you enter Chisinau – a city characterised by its wide streets, large apartment blocks, and massive green spaces and parks. Moldova. Though it may be small and have little tourism, there is lots to see, taste and do.

Moldova has a population of about 4 million people, and is located in south east Europe, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. The main language spoken is Romanian, however many people speak other languages too, such as English or Russian. The capital city of Moldova, Chisinau, is home to lots of beautiful parks and grand museums. The National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History was the first museum in the city, and is a great place to go if you want to learn about the natural history, background and culture of Moldova. The Museum of Art features traditional and modern paintings and artworks. All of the museums and many of the other buildings around central Chisinau have a beautiful and grand style and architecture, which I really like.

However, there is more to Moldova then just its capital city. Only 30 miles north of Chisinau, in a place called Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei), you can experience a place of incredible natural beauty and historical essence. You can experience a more traditional side of the country by staying in a traditional Moldovan-style house or resort, eating the delicious food and drinking their wine. During the day, there are many things to see – old ruins and artefacts from ancient tribes, beautiful churches and monasteries, or even simply a walk along its massive rocky ridges. Orheiul Vechi has lots of ancient history behind it, but it also is a place of stunning natural beauty where people can go to relax.

One of my favourite things about Moldova is the food. People in Moldova are very hospitable, and they usually welcome their guests with lots of food and wine.

There is a huge variety of different foods in Moldova, and each one is unique and different from the rest. For example, there is mamaliga, which is polenta; placinte, which are a type of pastries; sarmale, which are stuffed cabbages or leaves; coltunasi, which are similar to dumplings, and many more. Much of Moldova’s food is inspired by other countries, such as Italy, Russia and the Middle East, and they all have a kind of history behind them as these are the countries that had empires in Moldova at some point – such as the Roman Empire, the Turkish Empire and the Soviet Union.

In my opinion, Moldova would be a great place to visit, especially if you’re interested in learning new things and seeing a different, unexplored part of the world. Though it has little tourism, there are still lots of things to do to get great new experiences. I think that once people have visited Moldova, seen the cities, seen the countryside, tasted the food and drank the wine, they will be very glad they came.

To many people, it will seem like a new and different land, but to me and to my family, it is home.

Thank you for the wonderful essay "Moldova", Luca. We learned a lot about your home country - and have put your beautiful country right on our bucket list! Thanks for sharing your insights with us! Well done!

Luca attends Sutton Grammar School in the UK.

Moldova Orhei landscape

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Moldova - Useful Resources

Central Intelligence Agency. "Moldova" WorldFactbook. 17 September 2025. Last accessed 6 October 25
Moldova Travel. "Moldova Places to Visit." Moldova.travel. Last accessed 6 October 2025