The ancient town of Sergiyev Posad just outside Moscow is one of the pearls of the Golden Ring of historic towns surrounding the capital. Located about 70 kilometers from Moscow, the town is dominated by the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh, one of the most venerated Russian saints.
Nineteenth-century writer Alexander Griboedov immortalized Saratov with a single line in his comedy, "The Woes of Wit." One of the main characters, Famusov, pronounced this curse on his daughter - and Saratov - when he decided to send her packing there: "To the village, to your auntie, to the backwater, to Saratov!"