Armenia

October 2023, four days in Armenia with Francesco Lietti and Simone Caimi. A Wizz Air flight from Malpensa, a rental SUV and a plan: pop over into Georgia as well. It didn’t work out that way.

The first day

The first day was packed. Khor Virap in the morning, among the lit candles. Then Areni, with a winery tour and khorovats, meat skewers cooked in the tonir, the oven dug into the ground. The road through the red rock gorge to Noravank monastery, a mountain pass with an old caravanserai and views over the valleys, and Lake Sevan at sunset.

The Georgian border

The next day we set off north, with Georgia on the map. First an intermediate stop at Hnevank monastery, at the top of a dirt track, then another monastery along the way, and finally the border at Sadakhlo. That’s where Simone got stuck: the rental car didn’t have permission to cross the border. We turned back.

Country roads and ROT-54

Armenian roads deserve a chapter of their own. The “typical provincial road” is a straight dirt track through the hills, and the “slip road” is a gravel track you just throw yourself into. All around, Ladas of every age, villages with solar panels and a Second World War memorial with a carved fist. In my stories I even posted a tutorial on taking photos while leaning out of the car window. Don’t follow it.

We found the finale online: the ROT-54 radio-optical observatory, an abandoned Soviet giant. It looked like something worth seeing, and it was. An enormous dish, a control room with consoles full of dials and Russian lettering, an old terminal with a rotary dial. The obvious question: shall we switch it on?

Practical notes

• If you want to cross into Georgia in a rental car, check beforehand that the rental company allows it: we found out at the border.
• In Areni, stop for the wine and the khorovats.
• If you like abandoned places, ROT-54 is worth the detour.