Novaci is a town in Gorj County,

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, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

, 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-wester ...

, on the river

Gilort The Gilort is a river in southern Romania, a left tributary of the river Jiu. The Gilort flows through the villages and towns Novaci, Bălcești, Bengești, Târgu Cărbunești, Jupânești, Turburea and Capu Dealului. Its length is and its ...

. 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 Sibiu County () is a county ( ro, județ) of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat ( ro, reședință de județ) is the namesake town of Sibiu (german: Hermannstadt). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben m ...

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) road is Rânca (1600m altitude), the newly developed Romanian resort surrounded by mountain peaks and tremendous beauty. From this place is a view of the Parângu Mare peak and when the weather is good you can see the Peleaga peak of Retezat Mountains. 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