On a hill above the village of Moigrad, the Roman town of Porolissum guarded a key pass through the Meseș mountains, the gateway to Roman Dacia from the north-west. Founded as a military camp after the conquest in 106, it grew into a town of thousands, with a large fort, an amphitheatre, temples, baths and a customs post, and it became a municipium, a self-governing city, under the emperor Septimius Severus. The ruins are among the most impressive Roman remains in Romania, with a reconstructed fort gate, walls and parts of the town, and they are part of the frontier sites of Roman Dacia.
The site covers a large area on the hilltop, with views over the Meseș mountains and the Transylvanian plain. Walking around it, you can see the outlines of buildings, roads, the amphitheatre and the fort, and imagine the bustle of a frontier town, with soldiers, merchants and travellers coming and going.
Zalău, eight kilometres away, is the county capital, a town of over sixty thousand, with fuel, shops and restaurants. The county museum has a good collection of finds from Porolissum. The Meseș mountains, a low ridge of forests and pastures, are pleasant for walking and riding, with winding roads through villages and woods.
The roads around Porolissum are narrow and winding, with some potholes and gravel, and the climb up to the site from Moigrad is steep. The main road from Zalău to Cluj crosses the Meseș pass, with curves and climbs, but also heavy traffic. The best time to visit is spring or autumn, when the hills are green or golden and the weather mild. Visit in the morning, when the hilltop is cool and empty, and the wind brings the smell of cut hay up from the fields. Several villages around the Meseș keep small wooden churches with shingled spires, worth a detour on the way back down, and Zalău has the cafés and the full tank you will want afterwards.