Rostov the Great, one of the oldest cities in Russia, is famous not only for its white stone Kremlin, where half a century ago Leonid Gaidai shot the film "Ivan Vasilievich Changes his profession". Elena Bessonova, founder of SAVVA Culture, a Telegram channel about Russian culture and history, will tell you what to see and, most importantly, where to stay.
Фэшн-гуру, консультант в области моды, основатель Telegram-канала SAVVA Culture о русской культуре и истории
My next trip to Rostov started with an amazing acquaintance. It was here that I met Elena and Benoit Lardy, a Russian-French couple who a few years ago decided to open a guesthouse in the Russian hinterland. Dom Lardy is located in one of the most picturesque places in the Yaroslavl region, the village of Lomy. The terrain is hilly, so the views of endless fields and meadows are absolutely fantastic - just like in paintings by Polenov or Shishkin.
The best way to explore the local nature is by bike, stopping at the neighbour's wooden houses and chatting with the villagers.
The main street in Lomy, known as Stary Posad, is lined with linden alleyways and boasts a number of exceptionally beautiful log cabins, some of which were built many years ago. Local grandmothers still live in the izbas and they are happy to tell the visitors of Dom Lardy interesting stories of the area. To be honest, we were listening to them! By the way, we discovered that the old-timers of these places still have a noticeable "okeying" accent.
Rostov the Great is famous for its folk crafts, among which enamelware, a variety of pictorial enamel, brought along ancient trade routes from France, stands out. After an eventful walk, we decided to try our hand at fine art and practice painting tiles. It is an unhurried and almost meditative process, which relaxes you and makes you forget everything and concentrate on painting. An hour of painstaking work and even I got a pretty good landscape, although I'm not much of an artist.
The next evening was announced as a literary event, and we were visited by another remarkable couple, Moscow writers and historians Alexey and Elena Grigorenko, who are spending their holiday in the village of Lomy. Alexey told us about his book " The Quest for What’s No more ", dedicated to the village of Gumenets, located within walking distance from the village of Lomy, about its rich church parish and local residents, who were evicted from their home region due to collectivization that started in the 1930s in the USSR, and the church was destroyed. Alexei and Elena have been researching the history of these places for over thirty years, starting with the Mongol invasion of Russia. Listening to them in the cozy living room of the Dom Lardy is a pleasure!
As for the sightseeing programme, this time it was very unusual. It turned out that just 10 kilometers from Dom Lardy is the Voronino estate, which until 1917 belonged to the noble Leontiev family. After the revolution, it suffered the same fate as thousands of other noble estates all over Russia. And we would probably have learned nothing about it if not for the direct descendant of noblemen Leontiev and Generalissimo Suvorov himself, entrepreneur Sergey Aleksandrovich Leontiev, who several years ago bought the house of his ancestors, restored it, settled down and now tells tourists about the history of his family.
For obvious reasons there are almost no living estates left in our country. But "Voronino" - is a residential house, where visitors are allowed as guests. Only the ground floor, where the museum and a small dance hall are located, is open for excursions. Here you can see the maiden albums of the owner's great-great-grandmothers, someone's lorgnette, copies of paintings now kept in the Rostov Kremlin, Russian swordsmen found near the Devil's Bridge, portraits and sculptures of Suvorov, and documents from the family archives.
Another important cultural highlight of our trip was the Museum of Folk Art, which opened thanks to the private initiative of Anastasia Aristova, an entrepreneur not indifferent to the cultural heritage of Rostov. A few years ago, she bought one of the historical houses in the city, restored it with her own money and opened a museum there with Alexander Ilyin.
The exhibition consists of more than 250 exhibits from Siberia, the Russian North, Southern and Central Russia and other regions. These are unique folk icons, embroidery samples, spinning wheels, painted chests and Izba doors, household items, working tools, and much more. Be sure to put this museum on your future travel map - the collection is truly stunning!
In general, we had Napoleonic plans for this trip, of course. We did not see exactly half of what we were going to see, we did not reach the Boris and Gleb Monastery and the famous Rostov Filimonov Razdolie dairy Factory, once founded by the famous French cheesemaker Patrice Norman. A few years ago, he passed on his knowledge to his Russian colleagues, who continue to maintain a high standard of quality.
But to be honest, sometimes after a whole day filled with fascinating excursions you just want to sit on the terrace of your beautiful house and gaze in complete silence at the moon and the stars, which shine particularly brightly here. Thinking about the beautiful people you met during the two days of your trip, who were passionate about their country's history and culture, or, as in the case of Benoit Lardy, who feels so at home here. It makes you feel very warm and happy!
