A blend of leisure, adventure, culture, history, and archaeology

One of the most appealing regions of Albania is its south, bordered by stunning beaches and a tangle of jagged mountains. The scenic inner route passes via the cities of Berati and Gjirokastra, each with vast swaths of Ottoman architecture. The amazing Butrinti ruins are located further south, both itineraries intersect in the coastal resort of Saranda.

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The Cultural Bridge, connecting the dots

The Koman culture represented a “cultural bridge, connecting the Illyrian culture of Late Antiquity (4th-6th centuries) with the later medieval period (10th-14th centuries). The form and manner of burial, family cemeteries (within a cemeteries also housed other members, characteristic of Illyrians), as well as the material found inside the graves, express a direct heritage of the Illyrian culture of late antiquity.

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Pelasgians and Illyrians

The Southern Illyrians differed to some extent from the Northern Illyrians, due to the different cultural elements they acquired from the previous inhabitants. This difference was also noticed by the ancient authors, because in contrast to the populations of Northern Illyria, they called the Southern Illyrians “properly called Illyrians” (illyrii proprie dicti).

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Gjirokaster, the UNESCO city of stone slab roofs which never changes

The UNESCO city of stone slab roofs which never changes… – The archaeology and early history of Gjirokastra as a settlement are mostly unknown. Pottery dating to the 5th–2nd centuries BC, 5th–7th centuries AD, 9th–10th centuries, and 12th–13th centuries has been found as a result of archaeological investigations inside the castle. The earliest of these phases also revealed traces of huge block-built walls, showing that there was a sizable fortress on this side of the Drino river in the pre-Roman era around 168 BC.

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