Numbers won't do the work that being there does, although they help you ask sharper questions before you travel. This page collects the figures we find ourselves explaining most often to buyers who are seriously considering Romania.

Property transfers in Romania follow a notary-led procedure, and every transfer has to be authenticated by a public notary to carry any legal weight.

"Apus" in Romanian means sunset, but also West. The Apuseni spread across the centre of western Romania, covering parts of Bihor, Cluj, Alba, Arad, and Hunedoara counties. They are lower than the Southern Carpathians and less dramatic than the Eastern volcanic chain.

The Southern Carpathians are the highest range in Romania. They run from the Prahova Valley in the east to the Iron Gates in the southwest. This is where Romania's tallest peaks are, where some of its most famous roads cross the ridges, and where the cultural complexity goes deepest.

This is where the Carpathians bend. The long north-south spine turns east-west, and where it turns it gathers something different. Three Romanian historical provinces meet here: Moldova, Wallachia, and Transylvania. Three cultures, three traditions, three ways of building a village and running a household, all sharing the same ridges.

The northern end of the Carpathian arc holds two of the most distinct regions in Romania. Maramureș in the west, Bucovina in the east, separated by the Maramureș Mountains and the Rodna ridge. This is where the cultural layer is thickest. Wooden churches built in the 1600s still hold Sunday services. The painted monasteries of Bucovina are still working communities. In some valleys, people still farm with horses. Not for show, but because it works.

The northern end of the Carpathian arc holds two of the most distinct regions in Romania. Maramureș in the west, Bucovina in the east, separated by the Maramureș Mountains and the Rodna ridge. This is where the cultural layer is thickest. Wooden churches built in the 1600s still hold Sunday services. The painted monasteries of Bucovina are still working communities. In some valleys, people still farm with horses. Not for show, but because it works.