Cold creeping in? In Romania, the soba isn’t just a heater, it’s the stubborn heart of the house: where stews burble, socks steam, pages turn slow, and even the cat becomes a philosopher. From Transylvanian farmsteads to Moldavian hamlets, this lime-painted beast rules the room, radiating a patient, bone-deep warmth that electric radiators never learned. Sit close, you’ll hear it breathe like an old friend. Built of brick and lime, its white belly gleams in the half-light, a monument to modest c