This storied region in Romania is a land of vast wilderness, regal countesses, and plenty of folklore.

These furrows are home to the great capricorn beetle, Peter Suciu, our guide, told us.

For centuries, Romania was a place of turbulence.

Sun shining over a village in Transylvania

Transylvania is known for its fortified churches, like this one in the village of Biertan.Credit:Kate Eshelby

The Bethlens are also renovating the villages old Saxon schoolhouse.

Dormer windows protruded from the pitched roof like sleepy crocodile eyes.

Inside, the bedrooms had sumptuous linens and traditional tiled stoves.

A young boy in a corral with a flock of sheep

A young shepherd tends to his flock in the hills near the village of Viscri.Kate Eshelby

Days at Bethlen are simple but sublime.

Another day we walked to the village of Malancrav, before realizing we might be late for dinner.

Thanks to our shortcut, we made it in time to sit down in the communal dining barn.

A table with plates of tomatoes, bread, and cheese

A snack of bread and tomatoes with a local sheepherding family.Kate Eshelby

The Countess told us of her late husbands love of the area.

The owners, Mihai and Raluca Grigore, live next door with their three children.

First the goats, then the cows, then the water buffalo with their long black snouts.

Pair of photos, one showing a restaurant dining room, and one showing a horse with red tassels on its bridle

From left: The dining room at Viscri 125, a guesthouse in Viscri; in Transylvanian folklore, red tassels are believed to protect against the evil eye.Kate Eshelby

It was a sight that felt timeless, as the sun turned everything gold.

How to Get to Translyvania

Most visitors will begin their trip in Bucharest, the Romanian capital.

From there it is a four-hour drive northwest to the border of Transylvania.

Pair of photos from Bethlen Castle, one showing the exterior, and one showing the Countess

From left: Bethlen Castle, in the village of Criș; Countess Gladys Bethlen.Kate Eshelby