LOCATION
  Situated in the southern part of Romania, at a distance of 175 km from Bucharest, the Vâlcea County occupies a surface of 175sqkm and is neighbored by the counties of: Sibiu and Alba to the north, Argeş to the east, Olt to the south and southeast, Dolj to the southwest and to the west by the counties of Hunedoara and Gorj.

RELIEF
  The territory of the county is covered by mountanous ranges and hills, its altitudes displayed from north-higher to the south-lower, down to the depression of Lovistea. In the southern part of the county, the 600-700 m tall hills enclose the subcarpathian depressions of Jiblea-Berislăveşti, Păuşeşti, Hurezu etc.
  To the north of the county rise the white peaks of the Făgăraş ranges, to the west lie the Lotrului Mountains and to the south, the Căpăţânii Mountains. Along the left bank of the Olt River lies the Cozia Massif reaching 1669 m.

CLIMATE
  The variety of the relief influences the temperate-continental climate, typical for the county of Vâlcea, inducing sub climates for every floor: mountain, hill and depression. Along the Olt Valley and in the Loviştei depression, the climate is far gentler than in the rest of the territory.

VEGETATION AND FLORA
  It is displayed according to the altitude. On the highest peaks, you will find the alpine and sub alpine flora such as: small willow, violets, mountain peony, and edelweiss - the last two are declared monuments of nature.
  The forest is dominant in the hills region, covering almost 45% of the county, but there are spruce firs in the sub alpine region also. The foliage forests cover the mountainous areas and some sectors of the sub Carpathian hills. These are a few of the species: hornbeam, nut tree etc.

FAUNA
  The alpine region is a wonderful habitat for rare birds and animals: the bald brown eagle, the alpine chaffinch, the chamois, the commune adder and the mountain lizzard. The hunting resources are rich and varied: deer, lynx, stag, marten, bear, boar, mountain cock etc., while fishermen will certainly catch either some trouts, broad snouts or minnows.

  The Geto-Dacian period is well represented by the vestiges discovered in the area of the settlements of Ocniţa, Grădiştea, Lădeşti, Ioneşti, Roeşti. At Ocniţa, they recently identified the Buridava Dacian settlement, which Ptolemeu described in his writings. Nearby the salt mountain, at Ocnele Mari, archeologists have discovered a vessel and ceramics fragments with inscriptions on them, which demonstrate that salt was exploited ever since the Dacian times.
  The fingerprint of the Roman civilization is well conserved in this area, also through the Roman roads, whose names have been transferred to some of the nowadays existing settlements: "Via Romana", "Pons Vetus" (Old Bridge) - currently Câineni, "Pons Aluti" (Olt's Bridge) - currently Ioneştii Govorei, Arutela, (Bivolari), Buridava (Stolniceni), Rusidava (Drăgăşani), through Roman fortresses (Limes Alutanus), that spread through the hole county from north to south.
  Following the Roman retrieval (271), the migrating peoples invaded the territory of the county, but during the Middle Ages there was a period of flourishing both in the cultural and economical life. The county of Vâlcea is part of the Romanian cultural pantheon, ever since the establishment of the Bishopric of Vâlcea Noului Severin at Râmnicu Valcea.
  Along the history, Vâlcea participated in all major events: the Revolutions in 1821, 1848, the Unification in 1859, the Independence War in 1877-1878, the 1918 Unification and to the two world wars. Nowadays, Vâlcea is amongst the country's most developed counties from many perspectives: cultural, historically, tourist and economical.

TRADITIONS - HOREZU
  "The Romanian Ceramics Gallery", displayed inside the Cultural House in Horezu is a permanent exhibition, hosting the contemporary creation of potters from all over the country, whose work and inspiration are deeply rooted in the history of the lands, but have succesfully adapted to the introduction of the industrial system of production in the rural area. Under the same principles, Horezu also hosts an annual fair of Romanian ceramics, titled "The Hurez Cock", organized on the first Sunday in June.
  The craft of painting on eggs or locally "impistrit" has a long lasting reputation in the Romanian folklore. These creations stand as a testimony of faith and tradition, as well as Easter customs and are considered to be an original cultural element of Romanians. The craft of wood making is also an original activity of Romanian traditions.

• Băile Olăneşti Resort (Olăneşti Spas) holds the greatest number of mineral springs in Romania and has been awarded with the gold medal at the International Exhibition in Vienna in 1873, due to the exceptional quality of the waters found here, highly recommended for treating disorders of the metabolism or of the digestive apparatus.
• Băile Govora Resort (Govora Spas) is renowned for the treatment of respiratory disorders, neurological and locomotory.
• The mineral springs in Călimăneşti-Căciulata favor the healing of digestive and associated disorders.
• Voineasa Resort, situated along the valley of Lotru, is famous amongst those who love sports and trekking, because the mountains surrounding it offer a magnificent environment for all that and more.
• The Ocnele Mari-Ocniţa area is famous for its salt water and sapropelic mud pools used for treating locomotory and rheumatic disorders.