For centuries on end, the corridor that pierces through the mountains in central Romania between the settlements of Rucăr and Bran has been the main link between the people on each side of the Carpathians. An old commercial road follows this pass and reaches some of the most picturesque villages one could imagine. Spread over the rolling hills at the foot of the mighty Piatra Craiului Mountains, the villages of Șirnea, Peștera and Măgura seem to be caught in the spell of long gone times, when life was simpler. Although most roads that dare to ascend the steep hills are often filled with travelers, there are still many hidden places, little corners of heaven where the profoundly rustic atmosphere can still be felt. Wandering around Măgura, Peștera or Șirnea, we are often gifted with some unbelievable and almost surreal landscapes, from the dizzying wall of Piatra Craiului that seems to cover us to the rocky mass of Bucegi in the distance and from small flocks of sheep gathered around an ageless shelter to the lush gardens surrounded by wooden fences and adorned with hay stacks…
