SOFIA’S SECRET CHARMS
by Ezio Peraro, ICI director in Sofia
I happened to visit Sofia many years ago. My first impression of the city was certainly not a positive one, perhaps because of my preconceived ideas about the place. But after moving here for work, I fell in love with all its contradictions.
To those who ask if this city is beautiful, I reply that it has potential.
The greyness and squalor of the Soviet squares, the streets full of hidden potholes, and lighting from the days of the curfew won’t escape the visitor’s eyes, but once the historic centre has been restored, it will be a gem.
In the meantime, tourists can enjoy the city’s beautiful religious monuments, from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Russian Church of St Nicholas, St George’s Rotunda and St Nedelya Church, to the great Hagia Sofia mosque and the equally impressive Sofia Synagogue. On top of that there’s the plentiful Bulgarian Liberty-style public and private buildings which give Sofia its central European feel. Then there are the traces of ancient Rome, such as the exquisite thermal baths, which bear witness to an even more distant past.
Sofia’s Alexander Nevski
Cathedral, which was built
between 1902 and 1912But what I like most about Sofia are the well-tended parks and gardens, which take up huge spaces, providing the city centre with its own green lungs that also draw in people of all ages who are searching for some peace and relaxation as well as the chance to socialise.
A stone’s throw from the city is Vitosha, a spectacular mountain more than 2,200m high, which is covered in woods, meadows, streams, and slopes and trails for skiing. Areas equipped for picnickers are packed during the weekends, proof of the Bulgarian people’s passion for the great outdoors.
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