Russia鈥檚 most beloved poet, Alexander Pushkin, lived several years at his family estate, Mikhailovskoe, near the small town of Pushkinskie Gory (袩褍褕泻懈薪褋泻懈械 袚芯褉褘; Pushkin Hills), 120km south of Pskov.
The family first came to the area in the late 1700s, when Pushkin鈥檚 great-grandfather Abram Hannibal was given the land by Empress Elizabeth. The family house was destroyed during WWII and has since been rebuilt. The surrounding 20-hectare park includes servants鈥 quarters, orchards, cute bridges and a wooden windmill.
Pushkin鈥檚 writing room has also been re-created, with his comfy leather chair, portraits of Byron and Zhukovsky (Pushkin鈥檚 mentor, also a poet) and a small statue of Napoleon. The thick religious book on his writing table is the one he supposedly grabbed from the family bookcase and pretended to be reading whenever he saw the local priest coming for a visit.
At Pushkinskie Gory, about 1km north of the bus stop, is the Svyatogorsky Monastery (小胁褟褌芯谐芯褉褋泻懈泄 屑芯薪邪褋褌褘褉褜), where Pushkin is buried. Monks remember him in their daily prayers.
Many travel agencies run excursions from Pskov on Saturdays with Russian-speaking guides only (R900, excluding admission fees); for an English-speaking guide get in touch well in advance with the Pskov tourism office. See www.pushkin.ellink.ru for accommodation options.
You can catch a bus to Pushkinskie Gory from the Pskov bus station (R200 to R250, 2陆 hours, at least six daily); the first bus leaves at 7.20am. The Pushkinskie Gory bus station is about 6km from Mikhailovskoe. If there's no local bus to cover the last leg, take a pleasant country walk. Turn left out of the bus station and walk for 1km along the road 鈥 you鈥檒l eventually see the Svyatagorsky Monastery on your left. From there a road leads off to the right towards Mikhailovskoe. However the best option is to hire a taxi from Pushkinskie Gory to take you around for the day; expect to pay R1500 to R2000.