Perișor lies in the hills north of Năsăud, in the county of Bistrița-Năsăud, and Vârful Zgăului is the hilltop to which the label points. Zagra and Spermezeu are the nearest villages, while the great wall of the Rodna Mountains stands to the east, the highest part of the northern Eastern Carpathians, with peaks over two thousand metres and glacial lakes among the crags. The Rodna range is a national park and a biosphere reserve, home to chamois, marmots, brown bears and a rich alpine flora. On a clear day the sharp, pale line of the ridge can be seen from many of the hills around.
The hills here are rounded and wooded, with fields cut into the slopes, haystacks stacked on poles and villages strung out along the valleys. The region has a long tradition of border guarding: in the eighteenth century the Habsburgs set up a frontier regiment here, and the Năsăud district carried a special identity, with its own schools, a famous grammar school and a local culture that valued education. The hilltop itself is not a monument, only a viewpoint, and it is worth treating it as a place to look at the land and the mountains rather than a sight.
The riding in this part of Transylvania is among the most enjoyable in Romania. The roads climb and fall through forests and meadows, with bends that are neither tight nor boring, and the traffic is light outside the towns. The famous route over the Prislop Pass, at around 1,400 metres, crosses the mountains to Maramureș, and in summer it is one of the favourite routes for riders. Fog, sudden showers and cold mornings can come at any time, and in winter the snow closes the higher roads. Late May to early October is the best time.
Nimigea de Sus, the largest nearby place, has some shops and fuel, but for more choice try Năsăud or Bistrița, where there are fuel stations, restaurants and hotels. In the villages, stop for a bowl of sour soup, a plate of stuffed cabbage rolls and a glass of homemade juice. The people here are proud of their landscape and happy to talk to visitors, even with only a few shared words.