2004 Motorbike trip to Romania: The Transilvanya region and its famous traditions

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It's four o'clock in the morning sharp night air hits my face under the helmet open while I start with Riccardo rendezvous with other friends under the usual statue of Garibaldi. The first stage is very challenging, we decided to get in one day in Oradea, the first town after the Romanian border.

The next morning we enter the dark forests of the Carpathian Mountains to our region of Maramures which preserves its ancient traditions in a bucolic and quiet, where farmers still work with tools missing elsewhere, where still women, Sunday and during the numerous festivals, they wear beautiful and colorful costumes. We are lucky, today is Sunday and just down the road we meet many people walking. The men, with the traditional small straw hat on his head, wearing spotless white shirts while the women arm in arm in their balloon skirt, wearing colorful shawls.
Through these villages almost "on tiptoe" aware of our coarse and noisy intrusion.
Take the road that runs along the border with Ukraine, we reach Sapinta, a small town famous for its Merry Cemetery is unique in the world. It was 1935 when Stan Patras, local artist, he began to decorate the graves of his fellow villagers crosses with colorful naive scenes that illustrate the virtues and defects of the deceased, all in a glittering world population having attained the extraordinary effect of making "gay" even the death.

From Sighetu Marmatiei, we take the narrow road that runs along the creek IZA. Very few cars in circulation, some older trucks, hauled by livestock. Among the many things we are struck by the impressive wooden architecture of the great arcades of the fences of the houses, hand-carved, more or less recent and otherwise preserved, depending on the economic availability of the family.
A Ieud, perhaps the most typical village of this area, we visit the oldest church of Maramures, which dates back to 1350 and is still in perfect condition., Built in pine and spruce, has small windows, a double roof and a high steeple. Inside a large collection of icons of all types and periods, decorates the walls. Finally we come to the monastery of Voronet. Black-robed nuns hovering silently in the garden of the religious building built in the fifteenth century under the reign of Stephen the Great, a period in which the Bucovina lived its golden age. The outside walls were painted at the time when northern Moldavia was threatened by Turkish invaders. To educate and attract the interest of the soldiers and peasants, mostly illiterate, the most famous stories of the Bible were represented, as of today's comics, on the outside walls of churches. The famous blue Voronet, is the backdrop to all the usual images of saints, devils and sinners. An entire wall is occupied by Doomsday, something unique in the pictorial representations of these monasteries, both for the space it occupies, both the grandeur of the scene. Christ overlooking a crowd of fantastic animals, symbols of the zodiac, damned souls dressed with a turban of the hated Turks, who uncovered tombs, saints and prophets, archangels blow the trumpets, the trumpets used by farmers in Moldova.
The road, initially broad and inviting, at one point slips in an increasingly narrow valley until it enters the mountain swallowed as between two high cliffs. Are Bicaz majestic gorges and dark in the heart of the Carpathians. The show is truly remarkable with protruding rocks, trees and clinging suspended between the steep walls with patches of blue sky that appear at the top of the mountains, all complemented by sweet and pleasant sound of water coming down a nearby creek. Just past the narrowest part of the canyon, the road, with its winding and sinuous curves, rises steadily toward the pass. Proceed in single file with a string of gas, no hurry, enjoying the landscape that stands out above us.
Immediately after obtaining special permission, we travel with the bike the beautiful historic city of Sighisoara, passing through small cobbled streets and under the ancient arches to reach the town hall, where we waited for a meeting with the mayor. Around a large oval table our small delegation sudden a salute to the highest representative of the city, reciprocated by the same with a small memory to take in Italy. End the day with a tour "on foot" of the city.
And 'a must for those who come to go to Transylvania to see Bran Castle Dracula. Just like real tourists, we head towards this village near Brasov. Already avvicinadoci in the distance, you see it in all its grandeur stand perched atop a hill. In reality this way, an outpost of the Teutonic Knights against the advancing Turks, hosted for a few days and as a prisoner of the Count Dracula, the cruel ruler of ancient Wallachia, which gave rise to the legend of the famous vampire. Other places in Romania are much more important in the history of the Emperor, but very well preserved castle has indeed a unique charm. In the afternoon the group split, some people decide to take the road that crosses, in a succession of corners fast and fun, the mountains Fagarasului, the others stop in Brasov, an important city in ancient Saxon trading and cultural crossroads of the south-east Europe. Today is the capital of the county becoming the tourist town par excellence thanks to its numerous monuments The main attraction is the Black Church, an enormous Gothic building that takes its name from the sooty appearance, acquired in the great fire of 1689.

Today begins the phase of the return. In the early afternoon we decide to stop in Sibiu, a major town located in the heart of Romania, whose origins date back to 1192. Given the capital of southern Transylvania, was the most important of the seven cities founded by German colonists. Wherever we look we find evidence of the past Sibiu .. The buildings are painted in blue, red, orange and green, there are many cafes and restaurants, as well as many museums and interesting churches. We stop in the town square attracting the attention of people walking. Our bikes, with their bright colors and chrome, curious young people who come to exchange a few words with us. The more enterprising, able to snatch a few laps around the square.
Reluctantly, after a while 'we leave this beautiful city, it's late, we must go even three hundred kilometers before arriving at Arad, the last city that will host before leaving permanently from this fascinating country.
Pino Perugini