Novaci is a town in

Gorj County Gorj County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu. ''Gorj'' comes from the Slavic ''Gor(no)-'' Jiu (“upper Jiu”), in contrast with Dolj (“lower Jiu”). Demographics In 2011, the county had a ...

Oltenia Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, situated at the foothills of the

Parâng Mountains The Parâng Mountains (; hu, Páring-hegység) are one of the highest mountain ridges in Romania and Southern Carpathians, with the highest peak, Parângu Mare, reaching 2,519 m. Description The Parâng Mountains are located in the south-western ...

, on the river Gilort. It administers four villages: Bercești, Hirișești, Pociovaliștea, and Sitești. The river traditionally divided the Oltenian settlement of ''Novacii Români'' from ''Novacii Străini'', populated mainly by shepherds coming from over the mountains, from Sibiu County in

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

. The differences between the two segments of the town are obvious in the traditional vernacular architecture: the low fences of Oltenia are replaced by tall gates and hidden-away courtyards in the Novacii Străini. The population has been steadily decreasing since the 1990s, mainly because of the migration of the young, educated inhabitants to bigger cities. Only 12 kilometres from Novaci, passing the

Transalpina (DN67C) The Transalpina or DN67C is a 148 km national road located in the Parâng Mountains group, Southern Carpathians of Romania, is one of the highest roads of the Carpathian Mountains. It connects Novaci, south of Parâng Mountains, to Sebeș in ...

road is

Rânca Rânca () is a recently developed Romanian resort, located at 1,600 meters (5,250 ft) elevation, at the foothill of Păpuşa Peak in the Parâng Mountains. It is located 17.9 kilometers away from Novaci, Gorj County, after pas ...

(1600m altitude), the newly developed Romanian resort surrounded by mountain peaks and tremendous beauty. From this place is a view of the

Parângu Mare Parângu Mare (, "Big Parângu") is a mountain peak in Romania. At 2,519 metres above sea level, it is the highest peak of the Parâng Mountains, located in the Parâng Mountains group of the Southern Carpathians.Peleaga Peleaga (Vârful Peleaga) is a mountain in Romania. It is the highest point in the Retezat Mountains with a summit elevation of above sea level.Retezat Mountains The Retezat Mountains ( ro, Munții Retezat, hu, Retyezát-hegység) are one of the highest massifs in Romania, being part of the Southern Carpathians. The highest peak is Peleaga (Vârful Peleaga), at an altitude of . Other important peaks are ...

. During winter there are two ski slopes with low and medium difficulty.

References

Populated places in Gorj County Localities in Oltenia Towns in Romania {{Gorj-geo-stub