The Via Transylvanica through Romania is so long that its founder, Alin Useriu, took just two months to celebrate its official opening this week.
Four years ago, the 52-year-old came up with the idea for the 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) trail through the Transylvanian desert.
Useriu sought to create something for the ancient pilgrimage in the direction of Santiago or the vast American Pacific Ridge Road.
Little did you know then that more than 10,000 people would make that dream a reality, volunteering to lead the way through the Carpathians and some of the continent’s most stunning scenery.
“My only purpose is to revitalize rural areas, and all the friends I spoke to were very happy with the project,” he told AFP.
The Romanians enthusiastically accepted the idea.
“This is the first assignment since the revolution (of 1989) that unites us, that allows us to look at landscapes and other people that we would not otherwise have,” Sergiu Paca, covered in mud, told AFP, gathered on a motorbike in the isolated village of Sapartoc near Sighisoara.
Nearby, Radu Moldovan has converted one of the old abandoned houses in the village into a nice guest house.
“We seek to put into practice all the beautiful theories we had learned in the university and be a living example,” said the farmer trained in environmental problems and rural development.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better one for Sapartoc,” the 35-year-old said, hoping it will be a prime condiment for the 22-soul people.
Despite strong economic growth, Romania has experienced an exodus of young people from rural areas, and some of the country’s most beautiful regions suffer the most severe depopulation.
In Archita, another village along the way, truffle grower Gheorghe Silian, who sports a classic felt hat, also hoped the trail would bring the domain back to life.
“I came back here after several years in Italy,” said the 58-year-old, one of millions of Romanians who migrated to Western Europe in search of a life after the fall of communism.
“For 3 years (after the construction of the trail), tourists have reappeared, coming here to eat or rest at night,” he said as he strolled among his oaks and almond trees.
“I can also sell them my truffle and palinka products,” the local plum brandy.
The ecotourism it hopes to inspire is also about preserving local architecture and traditions.
Useriu sees a lot of danger in mass tourism of the kind seen on Romania’s Black Sea beaches.
“We’ve set maximum traffic at another 300,000 people consistent with the year, and we’re still far from that,” he said.
But Useriu’s dream of a path to revitalize mountain villages is already bearing fruit.
“My wife gave birth to our son a few months ago, the first birth in the village of Sapartoc in years!” says Moldovan.