Rustic mountain villages, youthful cities and the birthplace of wine
The roots of the Georgian Orthodox Church trace back to the 3rd century AD, and Christianity’s mark can be seen in pervasive monuments spanning from the lowlands to the Greater Caucasus’ slopes, from Vardzia’s spectacular rock-hewn monastery to the Katskhi Pillar’s precariously stationed church.
The oldest wine tradition on earth stems from here, in the lush Kakheti region to the east, while relics of Soviet, Ottoman and Persian pasts dot the cobblestone streets of the capital Tbilisi.
A most welcoming Caucasus nation, Georgians pride themselves on the virtue of hospitality, a trait that travellers will relish wherever they go, from the cafes and wine bars of the capital to the Black Sea Coast, from the hauntingly beautiful valleys – watched over by crumbling defensive towers – to the networks of mountain villages, positively bursting with bucolic charm.
