On a hilltop near the village of Spermezeu, in the Someș hills of Bistrița-Năsăud county in northern Romania, a small watchtower once stood guard over the northern edge of the Roman Empire. When the emperor Trajan conquered Dacia in the early second century, the Romans built a frontier around their new province, the Dacian limes, a chain of forts, watchtowers and earthworks running along the Carpathians and through the hills. Vârful Sitii, the summit of Sita, was one of the observation points, chosen because from here soldiers could watch the valleys to the north and send signals to the forts behind them.
What survives on the ground is modest, low earthworks and traces of foundations, but the view explains everything. From the summit you look across a landscape of rolling hills, forests and small fields, with the mountains of Maramureș and the Rodna range on the northern horizon. In the time of the Romans, the free Dacians and other tribes lived beyond this line, and the watchtowers were the eyes of the empire.
This is a quiet corner of Transylvania, far from the tourist trail, where life still follows the seasons. Haystacks dot the meadows in summer, villagers work the fields by hand or with horses, and wooden gates and churches decorate the villages. The forests are home to deer, foxes and wild boar, and storks nest on the electricity poles in the villages.
The roads are rural, often narrow, patched or unpaved, winding through the hills and valleys between Spermezeu, Zagra and Răpănașu. The final approach to the summit is likely on foot or along a farm track. Riding here is slow and peaceful, with little traffic other than tractors, horse carts and the occasional flock of sheep. Spermezeu and the neighbouring villages have small shops; for fuel and supplies, Căianu Mic, about ten kilometres away, or the larger towns of Beclean and Bistrița are your best bets. Weather can change quickly in the hills, with summer thunderstorms and cold, snowy winters, and dirt roads become muddy after rain. Take your time, greet people as you pass, and you will often be met with curiosity and kindness.