CLUJ – It doesn't take you long to notice the city's monuments as you wander around Cluj. There's the Orthodox Cathedral, built in the 1920s and 30s and one of the city's biggest religious buildings, and the Gothic-style Saint Michael's Church, in front of which stands the equestrian statue of the former king of Hungary Matthias Corvinus.
Strolling along the pedestrianised street that links these two
main monuments, we were surprised to come across a bronze replica of the
Roman she-wolf. It turns out the Lupa was a gift from the city of Rome in 1921 and one which Cluj is proud to display as a reminder of its past.
We were also surprised to discover that lots of the city's inhabitants understand and speak Italian, which is the best-known foreign language here.
As we delve deeper into the city, we find a variety of traditional shops and stalls that suggest time has stood still, unfazed by the metropolitan growth going on just yards away. It all makes for a contrasting but dynamic landscape. And a landscape that, for today at least, has taken on a black and blue hue thanks to the Nerazzurri fans parading around the city.
