Things to see and do Eastern Georgia

Simoné knows France well; he came several times in Burgundy with his polyphonic group. In his beautiful typically kakhétienne house, he organized a small workshop where one can come and taste local traditions. For some lari, one can join a soupra (banquet) in a traditional building, taste homemade wine, understand the functioning of the craft, observe the manufacture of the pandouri, lute Georgian. Simoné receives the guests in tchokha, traditional suit, he sings with his family. It's an excellent tamada. A good opportunity to spend a moment in a kakhétienne family; The garden is nice and it is nice to spend the afternoon. Simoné speaks French fluently, do not hesitate to contact him in advance to organize a visit. Gia and Simoné know each other well, they can send you from one to the other.

Visit the little church of Antioch at the end of the street at the right of Svétitskhovéli. It is incredibly small, but is superbly located on the rivers, opposite Djvari - always ubiquitous in the landscape. This little church dates back to the 2000 th century, but it was only a ruin until, where it was almost completely redone.

One of the relics of the past, interesting to see, even more panoramic seen on the other side of the Aragvi than close: the fortress of Mtskhéta, dating from the th century. It's half in ruins, you can climb it easily.

This kartlien village (not to be confused with its namesake of Djavakhétie), beautifully situated on the foothills of the Chaîne chain, at the foot of arid hills, has several interesting monuments.

Just above the village, the small chapel of Pavnissi, with remarkable green stones (th - th centuries).

Two kilometres above the village is the magnificent, imposing church of Ertatsminda dating back to the th and th centuries.

After Akhalkalaki, towards the west, lies the small (adjoining) village of Garikhoula, where a manor house built in the th century by a Polish architect is located. Artists from the Academy of the Arts in Tbilisi have elected them, and there is a regular visit to «Art Villa Garikhoula» of artistic Events, festivals and meetings.

For more information on these festivals, visit www.garikula.org

The huge hall of this huge Soviet theatre was transformed by the actor and TV player "Nothing", a star from Telavi, into a kind of entertainment centre, including in addition to the theatre a café, exhibitions linked to the Kakhétie and souvenir stores. One of the living centres of the city now.