Travel back in time with a trip to Romanian rural idyll

The countryside of Maramures, where farmers still use long scythes and home-made wooden pitchforks and there's no TV or internet, gives visitors a taste of how rural life was in much of Europe two centuries ago, writes Kit Gillet

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The village of Breb, in Romania's Maramures county. Photos: Kit Gillet; Corbis

Published: 9:00pm, 1 Apr 2016Updated: 3:09pm, 26 Apr 2016

Walking along the dirt roads in the village of Breb, in the far north of Romania, past wooden houses with beautifully carved gates, hand-pump wells and yards alive with livestock, it is hard to work out exactly you are.

The county of Maramures, within which Breb is located, is considered one of the last pockets of traditional rural life left in Europe, and many describe it as a snapshot of the continent as it was two centuries ago - although things are gradually changing with the arrival of cars (to replace the horse-and-carts), out-of-towners and concrete buildings. Furthermore, mobile phone coverage has recently become surprisingly good.

Passengers taking the minivan that plies the route to and from Baia Mare, the regional capital, and passes the village every few hours, are dropped off on and picked up from a hillside overlooking Breb, a village of around 1,000 people. The panoramic views from this remotest of bus stops are breathtaking.

The surrounding pastoral landscape has long enamoured adventurous travellers, with its agrarian culture and 100 wooden churches (eight of which feature on Unesco's World Heritage list) particular draws for photographers and those wanting to hike through countryside that has changed little in centuries.

Maramures borders Ukraine and is cut off by thin mountainous passes from the rest of Romania. Here, farmers still cut their hay with long scythes and then use home-made wooden pitchforks to stack it in high piles around a central pole. In the evenings, families gather with their neighbours to eat alfresco communal meals, and drink plenty of : home-made pear, apple or plum brandy.