Down in the southwestern corner of Romania, where the Banat plain gives way to the first hills of the Carpathians, the village of Vărădia sits on the edge of a gentle valley that opens toward Serbia. Here, at a place called Pustă, lie the remains of the Roman fort of Arcidava, one of the first stations on the road the Romans built from the Danube crossing at Lederata north into Dacia. Trajan's troops passed this way during the conquest, and the fort guarded the route for the century and a half that followed. Excavations have revealed the outline of the fortifications, and the site is now part of the UNESCO frontier listing.
The Banat is a region with its own identity, shaped by centuries of Habsburg rule after the Ottomans were driven out in the eighteenth century, when settlers came from Germany, Serbia, Slovakia and elsewhere. The landscape around Vărădia mixes vineyards, orchards and pasture with forested hills, and the climate is noticeably milder than in Transylvania. To the east rise the Anina mountains and the Semenic, and beyond them the wild Cerna valley, where the Domogled national park protects limestone gorges and old forests.
Riding in this part of the Banat is relaxed and scenic. The roads around Vărădia and Oravița wind gently through hills and villages, with moderate traffic and decent surfaces on the main routes. Oravița is the starting point of the famous railway to Anina, one of the oldest mountain railways in this part of Europe, and the road toward Anina climbs through forest with steady curves and views. Head east toward Bozovici and the Almăj valley, and the roads become quieter and more rural, with fine scenery. Summer can be hot, and spring is green and lovely.
Vărădia is a small village with basic shops. Oravița, around twelve kilometres away, is the nearest town, with fuel stations, cafés and supermarkets, and it also has a charming old theatre, said to be one of the oldest in Romania. Banat cuisine is a mix of Romanian, Serbian and Austrian influences, with grilled meats, sausages, cabbage dishes and pastries. Stop near the fort, look across the valley toward Serbia, and picture the Roman road heading north into the unknown, with legionaries marching toward the Carpathians.