A quite benefic and prosperous period was the reign of Matei Basarab, around the middle of the 17^th century (1632-1654). The two decades of this reign consisted in a change for the better in the way the city looked, even if the prince spent but the first half of his reign in Bucharest (and eventually withdrew to Tirgoviste). The Princely Court is redone and bridges (actually large wooden plancks) are set on roads and marketplaces, as an elementary measure against rainfalls and the overflowing of Dimbovita (inconveniences that are also part of a tradition, even if Dimbovita is no longer a real threat). Let us also remember that, considering all past and future princes, Matei Basarab was also the greatest church-founder and no matter how hard Nicolae Ceausescu tried to demolish the traces of such heritage centuries later, he simply could not be entirely successful.

4. Great fires and beautiful girls

            To the extent that recapturing it is possible, the life of Bucharest dwellers of the epoch had its charm. The city was surrounded by woods and the banks of the rivers were splendid, in spring as well as in autumn. Hunting in the nearby forests and angling in rivers and ponds were accessible almost to everyone. Dimbovita was the chief course of household and drinking water and it continued to be so for quite a while, even when means of filtering and treating it (in an early stage with alum) were developed in time (it is not clear, though, if the quality of drinking water was improved). Traditionally, spring in Bucharest is short, while autumn lasts longer. Winters were and remain cold and harsh, while summers were hot and droughty. The winter star has always been the Crivat (a North-West wind), while the one cherished by Bucharest dwellers is the Baltaret (a South-East, rain-bringing wind). In the summer drought the ponds run dry and gave off a quite unpleasant odour and the swarms of mosquitos were a familiar presence.

            The successor of Matei Basarab, Constantin Serban (1654-1658), continued the tradition of founding churches and one of the monasteries he had built became in 1661 Metropolitan Seat. Constantin Serban inherited another, less fortunate tradition, too: in 1658 he was called to Constantinople and guessing what was to become of him there, he withdrew in Transylvania, while his arri?re-garde troops set the city on fire, so that the Turks should have nothing left to loot. Consequently, his successor to the seat of the Romanian Principality, Mihnea III, preferred to reside in Tirgoviste. Only a few years later, the city of Tirgoviste will be set on fire too, only this time by Turks and Tartars alike, and that was the last time it served as capital. However, a sort of nostalgia for Tirgoviste as voyvodal city lived on ? even the communist voyvod Ceausescu toyed with the idea of transferring the capital to Tirgoviste, while Bucharest would remain the economic-industrial center. As is probably known, Tirgoviste was not only one of Ceausescu?s fantasies, but also featured as a dramatic episode of his real life ? of his last living hours, to be exact; but that is another story.