All the villages from Mărginimea Sibiului are beautiful and exquisite, each in its own way. Fântânele, a tiny village surrounded by high peaks, sticks to the soul of all its visitors.
The position of this village did not encourage the development of agriculture. Its inhabitants dealt with shepherding and grew fruit trees. In their transhumance paths shepherds went as far as Russia and the Caucasus; even then the Russians used to known that there is no telemea cheese better than the one from Fântânele. As early as the 18th - 19th centuries, the locals from Fântânele also started growing fruit trees; they would export their apples all the way to Central Europe.
Nowadays the village is still well-known for its orchards… In the end, what could be better than a walk in the orchard and the taste of a sweet, juicy apple freshly picked up from the tree?
And since we are talking about walks, the village is a good starting point for a couple of hours’ hikes to the hay meadows nearby - this is a good opportunity to get a closer look to the lives of the mountain locals. You should also climb the Augur Plateau at the Heroes’ Monument… they say there used to be a Roman temple here…
Make sure you don’t leave Fântânele without visiting the Ethnography Museum where you shall discover some interesting facts about the village history and culture. Then go to the church on the hill. Sit on a bench and admire the view - it looks as if taken from a postcard.
Did you know...?
A heritage conservation project put Fântânele on a list of the 15 premium villages of the county of Sibiu.