OLTENIA UNDER THE MOUNTAIN ASPIRING GEOPARK

The aspiring geopark Oltenia de sub Munte is located in Vâlcea county and covers an area of 635 km2 on the territory of 6 localities (Vaideeni, Horezu, Costești, Bărbătești, Stoenești and Băile Olănești), which include 41 villages. The territory has 24,366 inhabitants and contains 18 protected natural areas: a national park (Buila-Vânturarița) overlapped with two Natura 2000 sites and 15 nature reserves. The Geopark also includes 40 geosites (geological and geomorphological) and 65 cultural and biodiversity sites. On the slopes of the hill in the village of Costești, traces of habitation were found from the transition period from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age (Coțofeni Culture) and from the Bronze Age (Verbicioara culture) to the Iron Age as well as from the Dacian era.

A necropolis was identified on the land between the Bistrița and Costești valleys, within which 149 small tumuli were investigated, with approx. 200 cremation graves. Ferigile village (belonging to Costeşti commune), is the eponymous locality for the Ferigile culture from the first Iron Age (Hallstatt).