Maramures County

Envision this backdrop: plumes of mist overhead and clutches of shadowy fir trees in the valley bottoms, hillsides dotted with rustic hamlets and bales of ochre-hued hay, and the occasional timber-clad church spire high overhead. Welcome to Maramures County, one of Romania's most bucolic and idyllic corners. Still largely untouched by the tide of modernism and globalization, this northern cut-out of the country draws in visitors looking for off-the-beaten-track charm. They come to flit between the time-stood-still villages of the Iza Valley, where the clip-clop of horses' hooves are more common than the thrum of a motor engine. Here, they can also see the haunting rises of the Transylvanian wooden churches (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and ride the narrow-gauge into the mountains, up from forest-shrouded Viseu de Sus to the deep reaches of the Carpathians). Vistors can also enlist Maramures County tour guides for hiking over the wilds, or for enthralling heritage trips to towns like Baia Mare.