The hills above the Someș valley northeast of Dej roll away in long green waves, and the commune of Chiuiești sprawls across them in a scatter of hamlets, each tucked into its own fold of land. Dealul Podului, the Hill of the Bridge, is one of the ridges where traces of a Roman watchtower have been found, part of the chain of observation points that guarded the northern frontier of Dacia. The frontier was not a wall but a network of forts, towers and roads, and the Romans placed their towers where they could see far across the valleys and signal to one another. The site is one of the components of the World Heritage site of the Dacian frontier, although on the ground you will see little more than the shape of the hill and perhaps a low mound.
The Romans are only one layer of history here. The villages have wooden churches, some centuries old, and the Someș valley was a route for salt, timber and cattle long before and after the Romans. The region was part of the Kingdom of Hungary for centuries, then the Habsburg Empire, before becoming part of Romania in 1918, and you will still hear Hungarian spoken in some places alongside Romanian.
For riders, this is exploring country. The main road through the Someș valley offers easy cruising with gentle curves, but the side roads into Chiuiești climb into the hills on narrow lanes that turn rough, steep and occasionally unpaved. Expect potholes, loose gravel and mud after rain, and share the road with horses and carts, cattle and village dogs. The views from the ridges are lovely, especially in the evening, when the light turns golden over the hills and the villages. Spring wildflowers and autumn colours make those two seasons the best.
There are no real services in Chiuiești beyond small village shops. Dej, about thirteen kilometres away, has fuel stations, supermarkets and restaurants. If you are hungry, try a bowl of ciorbă, a sour soup, or mici, grilled minced meat rolls, washed down with a cold beer if you have finished riding for the day. Find a high point with a view across the valleys, cut the engine, and enjoy the stillness. It is a beautiful, little-visited corner of Transylvania.