Reci lies on the flat floor of the Târgu Secuiesc basin, in Covasna county, where the Olt river meanders between mountains in the heart of the Szekler Land, the Hungarian-speaking region of eastern Transylvania. The site known as Reci - Cetate, the fortress, belongs to the eastern line of the Roman frontier in Dacia, part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire inscribed in 2024. The Romans guarded the passes through the Carpathians with forts and towers here, though today the site is little more than a raised area in the fields.
What makes Reci unusual is its natural setting. Near the village lies a small nature reserve of sand dunes and birch woods, a strange landscape of hollows and hummocks covered with heather, birches and marsh plants, a remnant of conditions after the last Ice Age. It is a very different world from the surrounding fields and mountains, and well worth a short walk.
The Szekler Land has a strong identity. Villages have tall carved wooden gates, Hungarian is the main language, and churches are often fortified, like the famous one at Prejmer near Braşov, a World Heritage Site, with its massive circular walls and hundreds of storage rooms for villagers under siege. Sfântu Gheorghe, nine kilometres away, is the county capital, a pleasant town with a strong Hungarian character.
Riding in the area means flat valley roads with long straights, surrounded by mountains on all sides. The roads into the mountains, through passes towards Braşov, the Buzău valley or the spa towns of Covasna, are curvy and scenic, with forests and rivers. Traffic is moderate, and the roads are generally in good condition, though villages bring the usual hazards of dogs, horses and slow vehicles.
Sfântu Gheorghe has fuel, workshops and restaurants. Try kürtőskalács, the chimney cake baked on a spit and rolled in sugar, and hearty dishes like goulash or stuffed cabbage. The region is also famous for its mineral water springs, and many villages have their own spring where locals fill bottles. A picnic by a spring, with bread, cheese and fresh water, is a simple pleasure.