A plateau ringed by mountains, where Saxon villages still stand as they did five centuries ago and the forest begins the moment the last house ends.
German settlers built fortified churches here in the 12th century — massive stone walls, towers, and storage rooms that turned a place of worship into a fortress. Biertan, Viscri, and Câlnic are on the UNESCO list. Most are still unlocked by a local key-holder who has done so every morning for decades.
Romania's highest mountains form the southern wall of Transylvania — a 70-kilometre granite spine with over 30 peaks above 2,400 metres. The Transfăgărășan road cuts through them dramatically; above it, the ridgeline belongs to chamois and certified mountain guides.
The city does not feel preserved — it feels inhabited. Baroque squares, attic windows that look like eyes, a medieval passage system beneath the streets. European Capital of Culture in 2007; still the best base for everything in the region.