A Roman cavalry regiment kept its horses near the village of Ilișua, in the hills of northern Transylvania, for most of the time the province of Dacia existed. The fort, which modern archaeologists link with the ancient name Arcobara, was a large stone camp on the northern frontier, and its remains have been excavated over the years. It is part of the frontier of Roman Dacia listed by UNESCO in 2024. Today the site is a field with low walls and grassy mounds, and the neighbouring villages of Uriu, Cristeștii Ciceului and Braniștea go about their business around it.
This is the valley of the Someș, between Dej and Beclean, a gentle landscape of low hills, orchards and fields, with the river meandering through meadows. On a hill near Ciceu-Mihăiești stood the medieval fortress of Ciceu, which belonged for a time to the princes of Moldavia, including Stephen the Great, a reminder that this was contested ground between Transylvania and its neighbours. Dej, to the west, has a large salt mine, and salt was one of the reasons Rome wanted Dacia in the first place, along with gold.
The riding here is relaxed. The roads follow the valley and climb over low hills with easy curves, and traffic is light except on the main road between Dej and Bistrița. The surface varies, and in villages watch for horse carts, geese and children. The countryside is at its best in spring, when the orchards blossom, and in autumn, when the hills turn gold and the smell of plum brandy being distilled drifts from farmyards. Summer can be hot, and winter brings snow and fog.
The nearest places for fuel are Beclean and Dej, both within easy reach. The village shops sell basics, and a roadside restaurant will serve soups, grilled meats and polenta. The Roman site has information boards, but little else, so use your imagination: five hundred horsemen, their barracks and stables, their baths, and the long wait for trouble from the north. Then ride on along the Someș, which has been flowing past all of it, Romans included, without much interest.