Ionela Lungu is a local artisan from Humulesti village (a place near Targu Neamt, from Neamt County) that manages to create handmade objects inspired by stories by Ion Creanga (the greatest storyteller of Romania). She lives a few houses away from where Ion Creanga lived and she has a real passion for everything related to this great writer. That is why she tries to share this passion with other people by creating clay figurines that represent characters created by Ion Creanga, like: ant Marioara, Pacala, Mos Nichifor Cotcarul, Mos Ion Roata, Danila Prepeleac.

As we mentioned above these figurines are made out of clay, dried in the sun, painted and decorated using natural threads or small pieces of tanned lamb skins for the headpiece. Each of these characters is made according to the descriptions made by Ion Creanga.

Google maps location of Ionela Lungu

Ionela Lungu is a member of The National Association of Folk Artisans from Romania and a teacher at the Art and Trades School from Vanatori. In her creations she combines more than only one craft to create these smiling faces that remind us of the characters created by Ion Creanga: clay modeling, tanning of the animal skin, hemp weaving.

Along with these clay figurines, Ionela Lungu also creates fine tapestries made out of natural wool stitched to sac that depict famous scenes from the book “Amintiri din Copilarie” (“Memories from my childhood”) by Ion Creanga. These tapestries resemble some decorative carpets that were once used in the traditional Romanian houses to cover the walls.

You can visit the workshop of Ionela Lungu each summer at the foot of the hill where Neamt Fortress is located. Here you can also find objects made by Ionela Lungu’s husband, Costin Lungu that creates traditional masks and sticks or hatchet from hardwood (hazel, hornbeam or horn).

Location of the workshop: at the foot of the hill where Neamt Fortress is located
Phone: +(40) 233 790093, +(40) 742 999 506, +(40) 726 985 695
E-mail: [email protected]