The Olt river cuts through the Carpathians in a gorge a few kilometres from Păuşa, one of the few natural gateways between Transylvania and the southern plains, and the Romans knew its value. After Trajan conquered Dacia in AD 106, the frontier of the new province ran along the Olt, a line known as the Limes Alutanus, and a chain of watchtowers and small forts guarded the river, the roads and the passes against raiders from the lands to the east. Turnul lui Teofil, Teofil's Tower, is one of those lookouts, standing on a height over the valley, in a place chosen so that a signal fire or a trumpet call could be passed on from tower to tower.
Today the remains are slight, mostly a rectangle of stone foundations in a clearing, but the setting says it all. The gorge is narrow and green, and the river flows fast between steep, wooded slopes, with a railway and a road squeezed along the bank. The Dacian frontier reached the UNESCO list in 2024, with the Limes Alutanus among its sections. Nearby, the medieval monastery of Cozia, founded in the fourteenth century by Mircea the Elder, stands on the river bank, with a fine painted church.
Riding the Olt valley is a pleasure. The road, DN7, follows the river through the gorge for dozens of kilometres, with curves, tunnels and views of forested slopes and sheer rock, a main artery between Sibiu and Bucharest. Traffic, especially lorries, can be heavy, and overtaking is dangerous, so choose weekdays outside holiday periods or start early. Speed cameras and police checks are common. Fog and rain can cut visibility in the gorge, and in winter ice persists in the shaded stretches.
Călimănești, a spa town about six kilometres away, has fuel stations, restaurants and guesthouses, and its mineral springs have drawn visitors for centuries. Local food includes grilled meats, polenta and cheese, plus plum brandy. Autumn is a fine season, with the forest turning to copper, but early summer is also lovely. Remember that Romania requires a road tax sticker called a rovinieta, which is easy to buy online or at the border.