If ever you find yourself on the road that takes you from Râmnicu Vâlcea to Târgu Jiu or vice-versa, make a quick stop near Costești to the Trovanți Museum Natural Reserve.

The term ‘Trovant’ is a Romanian term and cannot be translated in any other languages. It actually means a rock formed by cementing of sands in all sorts of bizarre shapes.

It is said that the trovants are alive rocks, specifically because they are formed from water and sand on a hill nearby by and when they are big enough they fall from the hill on the ground.

Here is one that is forming right now in the hill.

There are many places in Romania with such rocks, but the ones in Costesti are the most impressive. They are the biggest (from a couple of centimeters to 5 meters) and have the most uncommon shapes.

The museum is open to the public every day and there is no entrance fee. There is also an informative board in the museum, offering all the information about the forming of these rocks.