You may be a little tired and emotional after your visit to the vineyards and ready for something restful and spiritual. There's an old monastery conveniently located 7km (4.5mi) southwest of Straseni in the isolated village of Capriana where you can repent of your drinking ways and give your liver a rest. It's a 14th-century monastery that miraculously survived the militant atheism of the Soviet era and its obligatory looting and pillaging. Sitting serenely at the edge of a lake, it's comprised of three sections, each built in a different era. The oldest is the church of the Virgin's Assumption, built in classic 14th-century baroque style. Saint Nicholas' Church was built in the 1800s and Saint George's church (abutting the abbot's house, refectory and cells) was built at the turn of the 20th century. Forty-two Orthodox monks still use the monastery today.
Three buses leave daily from Chisinau to Capriani, but they begin their 30km (19mi) trip back to Chisinau almost immediately. This makes a day trip difficult.
Attractions - Capriana Monastery
