Constanţa

The third important town in Romania and the largest port of the Black Sea, Constanta has been attested since the 6th century BC, under the name of Tomis (a Greek colony, at the time). The Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso lived here in exile a large part of his life. Longing for the brightness of Rome and recognizing that he had made a mistake, the poet begged for a forgiveness that never came. This is why, far from Rome, he wrote two very beautiful and sensitive volumes of poetry called “Tristele” and “Ponticele”. The most obvious expressed feelings were these of sorrow, sadness and solitude. Even though he was in an ancient cultural center, the exiled didn’t seem to be able to enjoy some of the beauties he had there. Because Tomis was not Rome, he could not get accustomed to it.

Ovidiu’s statue, a creation of the sculptor Ettore Ferrari, in 1887, can be admired even today.

The main attractions of the city are the Casino – built at the beginning of the 20th century, the Aquarium, the Delphinarium, the Planetarium, the Museum of Natural History and Archeology, the Orthodox Cathedral (1898), the Mosque (1910), the Catholic Church (1908) and so on.