The hills of northern Transylvania, in Bistrita-Nasaud county, are quieter than the better-known Saxon towns further south, a country of wooded ridges, narrow valleys and farming villages where hay is still cut by hand and stacked on wooden poles. The Perisor to Paltinis label sits in this landscape, about four kilometres from the village of Spermezeu and not far from Zagra, in the foothills below the Rodna mountains.
The area belonged for centuries to the Habsburg border guard, which recruited Romanian peasants from the Nasaud district to defend the empire's frontier, and in return gave them schools and a degree of freedom, which made this one of the best-educated parts of the Romanian countryside. Villages are strung along the streams, with wooden gates, tall steeples and fields divided by hedges. Hill sites with the name of cetate or fortress are common in this region, and archaeologists have found fortified settlements from the Bronze Age, from the Dacians and from the medieval period on many hilltops. Without a local guide it is hard to tell which are accessible, so do not count on a signposted visit.
To the north rise the Rodna mountains, the highest range in the eastern Carpathians, with peaks above two thousand metres and a national park of alpine meadows, glacial lakes and rare flowers. The roads through the hills are often narrow and patched, with sudden potholes, horse carts, flocks of sheep and unfenced livestock, so stay alert, particularly at dusk. They can be a joy for a relaxed rider, with long views over rolling hills, haystacks and little churches. Summers are warm, and thunderstorms come quickly in the afternoon. Autumn is gentle and golden, and winters are cold with heavy snow.
Nimigea de Sus, about ten kilometres away, has about five and a half thousand people and is the nearest sizeable place for fuel, and Spermezeu and Zagra have small shops. Food in the villages is hearty, with mamaliga, cornmeal porridge, served with sour cream, cheese or smoked sausage, and stuffed cabbage rolls called sarmale. Plum brandy, tuica, is offered to guests, and refusing politely is acceptable.