From Dracula’s home to the Eternal City: Sibiu, Bran and Rome

This trip had a theme: Dracula. From Stuttgart, we flew to Sibiu, right into the heart of Transylvania – the starting point for a route that covers a good part of the legend.

Our first stop was Corvin Castle in Hunedoara – a 14th-century fortress that looks exactly the way a castle in this story should look. Pointed towers, stone walls, a wooden bridge across the moat. Walking through the gate, you immediately understand why this place has served as a template for screenwriters and game designers for decades. Nothing here feels staged – the history sits inside the walls.

From there, we drove the Transfăgărășan, the mountain road that former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson once called “the best road in the world.” The route winds in endless switchbacks up to over 2,000 meters, with views that force you to pull over every few minutes. The drive takes considerably longer than the map suggests – but that’s exactly the point.

Our final stop in Romania was Bran Castle near Brașov – the castle commonly associated with Count Dracula. Whether Bram Stoker actually used it as the model for his novel is still debated. But as you approach the hill and watch the castle emerge from between the forests, the effect lands regardless.

From Sibiu, we continued to Rome. Different city, different continent in feeling. We walked to St. Peter’s Basilica – and no matter how many photos you’ve seen, you still go quiet once you step inside. The dimensions just don’t translate to images. And then, completely unexpectedly, Pope Francis came through St. Peter’s Square in the Popemobile. He waved, the crowd cheered – a moment we hadn’t seen coming that day at all.

For a spontaneous day trip, we took the train to Florence and on to Pisa. In Florence, Michelangelo’s David at last – my namesake, whom I’d been looking forward to for years. And yes: photos don’t prepare you for the impact of the original. The statue stands over five meters tall, and it looks as if it might start breathing any second. In Pisa, we just had time for the obligatory stop at the Leaning Tower before heading back to Rome in the evening.