French media: Discover Albania, last Adriatic secret country

So writes Marie-French Parra for la Femme Actulell, becoming the next French media to talk about Albania's natural beauty.

The following article, published on July 31st:

Between Greece and Montenegro, this unknown country borders the Adriatic Sea, with the Strait of Otrato and the Ionian Sea. His story, between resting the Ottoman hordes, the communist dictatorship... and revenge has kept him long away from tourism. Today, the country has found peace and the capital, Tirana, has been modernised. From Skenderbej, with her tower with the clock and the glass, at Avni Rustemi Square; The Palace of Culture and villas in the block district; large boulevards; and narrow streets; small shops around the Pazar market; the city may be well served on its feet to assess its somewhat outdated atmosphere. In the evening, we find ourselves in a fashion bar, consuming a drink.

A Mountain - Covered Land

Early in the morning, we head north and its mountains. Shkodra is a museum city for its fortress and cannons, with its seventeenth - century stone houses. For 35km, it reaches Koman, to cross the artificial lake for 34km, until it reaches Valbona, the gate of entry into the Albanian Alps. Numerous poles appear on high, in an original nature, with fly flowers, orchids, and wild strawberries.

The country has a dozen parks, including Butrint's, where an extraordinary archaeological park is located. In the shadow of the eucalyptus and the land, there is a park of trees from which you can cross an ancient city and its Roman ruins the lion's gate, the Acropolis, the theater and the baths, the early Christian parishes...

Secret harbors and Ottoman palaces

From Vlora to Saranda, the Albanian Renaissance is packed with beaches and still-virgin harbors on the Karaburun and Gjipe Peninsula, which can be achieved through stone trails. On the most tempting beaches, in Dhermi, Saranda's Vuno, holidays begin since May. Not far away, the small village of Qeparo, 300m below, was chosen as one of the most beautiful villages in the world. You have to take upstairs to the Ottoman castles in Berat, “the city of a thousand windows” and its numerous Byzantine churches, and Gjirokastra, “Stone City “. Along the streets of the ancient 13th - century castle are X - century houses VII, where the wooden and stone artisans were placed. Looks like a time trip.

Apollonia, the Greek city

11km from Fieri, southwest of the country, the ancient city of Apollonia, with 80 hectares of it, is Albania's most important. Founded about 625 BC, there is a remarkable heritage, such as Odéon, a theater with a capacity of 10,000 spectators, a triumphal arch, a temple of Artemis, a library, the council building where the assembly of citizens met. There's a magnificent view from the hills of the archaeological park.