Ferapontovo is a village of a few thousand people in the forest country of Vologda, and it holds one of the great treasures of Russian art. The Ferapontov Monastery, founded in the late fourteenth century by a monk named Ferapont, stands on a low hill between two lakes, and the white walls and golden domes of its cathedral are reflected in the water. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the reason is inside: the walls of the Nativity Cathedral are covered in frescoes painted in 1502 by Dionisius, the most celebrated icon painter of his age.
The frescoes are unlike most Russian church painting. Dionisius used light, airy colours, soft blues, pinks, and greens, and long, graceful figures that seem to float. The effect is calm, luminous and almost musical, and many visitors find it moving even without knowing the stories. Photography is restricted, and the cathedral is small, so visits are short and the light inside is dim, so give your eyes a moment. A museum on the site tells the story of the monastery, which was closed in the Soviet era and later restored.
The ride here is a gentle one through the north Russian taiga. The roads run through flat, wooded country with birch and spruce, wide skies, small villages of weathered wooden houses with carved window frames, and glimpses of lakes. Surfaces vary from decent asphalt to patched and potholed, and trucks use the main road, so take care on blind rises. The white nights of June, when the sky never gets fully dark, are magical, but mosquitoes in summer can be a nuisance, and winters are long and bitterly cold.
Kirillov, about fourteen kilometres away, is the nearest town with a proper range of services and has fuel and shops. It also holds the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, a huge fortified complex founded in 1397, with thick walls and towers beside a lake. Belozersk, further north, is another old town worth seeing. Local food includes rich Vologda butter and fish from the lakes. Foreign visitors should check carefully what is currently possible before planning a trip.