Do you know what 7 o’clock sounds like on a winter morning? Five years ago, it sounded like cars zooming past our flat in the center of Bucharest. So we left the hustle and bustle of the city to delight in the joy of silence that Viscri has to offer. Now 7 o’clock on a winter morning sounds like our apple tree’s branches creaking under heavy snow.

Lots of people dream of time travel, but we can say we’ve actually done it. In Viscri, there’s no need to go back in time. All things that were great about the past, we live in our every day now.

We decided to trade being a lawyer and designer in the city, to live a healthier lifestyle in the Transylvanian hills we now call home. Since 2016, we’ve been restoring old furniture pieces, collecting forgotten recipes, and digging our fingers in the garden on warm, summer afternoons.

Our Blue House and White Barn are in one of the last authentic 12th century Saxon settlements in Europe. Viscri is a village which has maintained its architecture, heritage, and customs throughout the ages: from the brightly colored houses lining our street, to the UNESCO world heritage Fortified Church on the hill behind our orchard, and HRH Prince Charles’ cottage down the road.

We’ve built a sustainable, social business model which contributes to our new community by keeping everything local. Everyone on our team and their families live in the village. We care about our neighbours and about sustaining the local economy by involving them in our work. At Viscri 32, the slow food on your table will come from a stone’s throw away. Maybe for dessert you’ll have organic jams from Mama Gerda down the street, or aged cheese from Adi and Oana’s cows grazing on pastures across the hills in Meșendorf. The painted wood stove in the Blue House will be fired up by Cristina, one of our cooks, and your coffee will be prepared by Cucu, our talented barman who also happens to go home every night and milk his cows after they return from pasture.

We look forward to sharing the good life with you. ’Til then, you can find us in our house, barn, or maybe in the fruit orchard out back. — Mara and Alexu