The village of Bologa lies in the valley of the Crișul Repede, on the main road between Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, where the river cuts through the hills between the Apuseni mountains and the Meseș. On a hill above the village, known locally as Grădiște, the Romans built the fort of Resculum, which guarded one of the main routes into the province of Dacia from the west. The fort was rebuilt several times, from earth and timber to stone, and archaeologists have uncovered its walls, gates and towers. It is part of the UNESCO listing of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Dacia. On another hill above the village stand the ruins of a medieval castle, which controlled the same valley in later centuries. Climbing to either site gives fine views over the valley and the surrounding hills.
A few kilometres west, in the village of Ciucea, the poet and politician Octavian Goga had his estate, and his mansion is now a memorial museum, with a garden and a wooden church brought from another village. Goga was one of the most popular Romanian poets of the early twentieth century, known for his poems about the Transylvanian peasantry.
The Apuseni mountains, rising to the south, are a wild, beautiful region of limestone plateaus, caves, gorges and forests, with scattered villages where traditional life continues. The Drăgan valley, south of Bologa, climbs into the mountains past a reservoir and through forests, a beautiful and quiet road. The Scărișoara ice cave, with an underground glacier thousands of years old, and the Bears' Cave, with fossils of cave bears, are among the highlights of the region.
The main road through the Crișul Repede valley is busy with trucks, as it is one of the main routes between Romania and Hungary, and it demands care. The side roads into the Apuseni are much more pleasant, with tight bends, steep climbs and beautiful scenery, though the surface can be poor and gravel sections are common. Watch for livestock, carts and dogs in the villages.
Huedin, about thirteen kilometres away, has fuel, shops and restaurants. The area is known for its traditional cooking: try balmoș, a rich polenta with sheep's cheese, and the local plum brandy, pălincă, best saved for the evening.