Travel to Sarmizegetusa Traiana and Regia - A piece of History Of Romania

Quick history of Ulpia Traiana:

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa was the capital of the roman province of Dacia. Situated in the northern part of the Roman Empire, but still in operational area of its armies it was situated in the Balkans and close to the Carpathian Mountain Ark, providing a good defense and great visibility.
The colony of Ulpia Traiana was established after the conquest in 106 CE of the area from the local residents, the Dacians, a people of Thracian descent, whose own capital was a mere 40 km away.
It was named after the Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, the roman emperor of the time, one of the most successful and abile leaders of the Roman Empire

Placement:
Orăştiei Mountains, on a flat area, very close to the trading roads and having a good control of its mountain passes.

Placement in modern Romania:

Quick history of Sarmizegetusa Regia
The capital of the Dacian State of the time. It was the defensive nucleus of a well protected natural environment. Having the Orăştiei Mountains around and being situated on a steep incline with woods on all sides and five other Dacian fortresses around meant that it would be very easily defended. After a series of wars the Dacians, led by king Decebal, lost the province to the Romans. After the conquest, the Romans demolished a part of the settlement.

Placement:
Orăştiei Mountains, at a considerable altitude, protected by other fortresses.

Visiting the two sites:

From Bucharest by using the A1 Highway, then using the national roads. The quality of the roads is excellent and the sights on the way are amazing. Natural habitat is diverse and often you might see boars or foxes, especially near the Regia site.
You do have an assortment of inns and guest houses near the Ulpia Traiana site, a Museum and many places to eat, traditional or not.

I would recommend to visit in the autumn or summer for an even greater impact, everything is a huge forest and the colors are amazing, especially the Regia site. Access to it is via an old windy mountain road ( properly maintained ) and gets you an impressive view of the remote and pristine parts of Romania.

You do have a parking when you get up there and you have a short trek of 10 minutes from the parking to the Regia site, in which you can meditate on why having a fortress on such a steep hill helped keep it defended for a long time :)

Inside the site you will find a tranquil place, historically filled archaeological ruins of old temples, settlements and engineering features ( Dacians were polytheists as well as the Romans, organized and crafty ).

I will not spoil the historical gems you will find in any of the places, although I am tempted.

What I can tell you is that it will offer a relaxed weekend, far from the usual travel routes in Romania.

Sources:
Text and some of the pictures are @originalwork
Wikipedia for maps
Drone photos:
http://arhiva.replicahd.ro
https://hunedoaraplus.ro
http://www.istorie-pe-scurt.ro
http://glasul-hd.ro
Inspired to write about it by: @steemitromania and @sarmizegetusa

Have a wonderful day, travelers!