Sucevița is the last and the largest of the great painted monasteries of Bucovina, and when you come down into its valley and see it for the first time, a squat fortress of white walls and towers with a church inside painted from eaves to plinth in deep greens, reds and blues, it stops you in your tracks. It was built in the 1580s and 1590s by the Movilă family, princes and churchmen of Moldavia, and its frescoes are among the best preserved of all the painted churches. UNESCO groups it with seven others as the churches of Moldavia.
The north wall holds the most famous image: the Ladder of Virtues, a huge composition in which monks climb a ladder of thirty rungs towards heaven, angels on one side helping them up, and on the other a crowd of little black demons trying to pull them off, with some tumbling down into the open mouth of hell. It is vivid, funny and frightening at once, and it was designed to be. The north walls of most painted churches have faded in the weather, which makes Sucevița's so remarkable. Inside, every surface is painted too, and the nuns who live here keep the place immaculate.
The ride to Sucevița is part of the experience. From Moldovița, the road climbs over the Ciumârna pass, through spruce forest with tight hairpins and fine views back over the hills, before dropping down to the monastery. In the other direction it runs east through Marginea, a village famous for its black pottery, fired in a smoky kiln that gives the clay a deep, glossy black, and on to Rădăuți. The roads are mostly paved and in reasonable shape, but potholes and gravel appear without warning, and horse carts and logging trucks are regular companions.
Sucevița village has guesthouses and small shops. For fuel, head to Marginea, nine kilometres away, or Rădăuți. Bucovina is a land of good, simple food: try ciorbă rădăuțeană, a creamy chicken soup with garlic and vinegar that originated in Rădăuți, and the local sour cream and cheeses. Dress modestly to enter the monastery; women may be asked to cover their heads and legs, and there are usually wraps at the gate.