Prince Charles in Transylvania: Royal sets sights on restoring vandalized medieval churches

Britain's Prince Charles has stepped into the Transylvanian countryside, meeting local producers of cheese, jam and salami during a private visit.

He met Wednesday with locals in Viscri, where he owns a house. He also is expected to tour three medieval churches that have been vandalized, with a view to restore them.

The region has 250 medieval Saxon churches that belonged to Saxons or ethnic Germans. Romania has fewer than 15,000 Saxons, down from a quarter of a million in 1990.

Charles received an honorary degree for his devotion to Romania on Monday. He said he was enticed by the "hilly, woody and fertile landscape" he encountered in Transylvania 20 years ago.