Albania

by Gillian Gloyer

Overview

This new, fully revised seventh edition of Bradt’s Albania remains the most authoritative standalone guide to what is still a relatively little known part of Europe. Coverage is comprehensive, starting in the capital, Tirana, then moving through central, northern and southern Albania to provide all the information needed for a successful trip. Included are knowledgeable and rigorously researched historical and archaeological background, detailed notes on popular and less well-known hiking routes and other outdoor activities, and specialist contributions on wildlife, military history and other topics. An unparalleled wealth of practical advice for the independent traveller is also offered.Albania has something to offer almost everyone. Many come for the spectacular, unspoilt mountain scenery and the hiking and cycling opportunities. Others are interested in the country’s heritage, such as the Ottoman cities of Gjirokastra and Berati (both UNESCO World Heritage Sites), the many outstanding archaeological sites, and the Byzantine religious art in the medieval churches and in museums in Tirana, Korça and Berati. Beaches such as Dhërmiu and Jala in the south are popular with young backpackers, while in high season the resorts are full of Albanian-speaking Kosovars and Macedonians. Ornithologists have long been attracted to Albania, even during the Communist period when the country was all but closed to most foreign visitors, thanks to its many different habitats and the fact it lies on several migration routes. For city slickers, lively Tirana offers shopping malls, cycle paths, museums, art galleries and historic buildings, yet in the countryside, especially in the mountains, villagers still live much as their grandparents did, tending their goats and sheep, spinning wool and making their own cheese and yogurt. Many villagers have opened up their homes as guest houses, offering a wonderful opportunity to experience local culture first-hand.All of this – and more – is covered in Bradt’s Albania, the ideal companion for a perfect trip.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784779122
Publisher:	Bradt Publications UK
Publication date:	08/01/2022
Edition description:	Seventh edition
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	256,156
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Gillian Gloyer studied ancient languages at Wadham College, Oxford. Her first contact with Albania was in the 1980s, when she gazed from the deck of a ferry at the pristine beaches of the almost-closed country. From 1998 to 2002, she lived in Tirana, directing a long-term training programme with political parties. Her training schedule took her all over the country and gave her the chance to discover Albania’s astonishingly rich history and culture, then almost unknown outside the country. She learned the language while she was working there and speaks it well. Although now based in Edinburgh, Gillian visits Albania several times a year for both work and pleasure. She has participated in international election observation missions there and leads tour groups around the country's cultural and historical sites for several UK-based tour operators. She is a keen hillwalker and enjoys hiking in Albania's wildernesses.

Read an Excerpt

1. The austere and beautiful town of Gjirokastra began to spread downhill from its castle in the 13th century. The castle still broods on its hill, overlooking the whole city and the river valley below. From that vantage point, the grey stone of the houses below and the grey slates of their roofs blend into the hillside, distinguished from it only by their whitewashed walls. Gjirokastra’s architecture and haunting atmosphere are described by one of the city’s most famous sons, Ismail Kadare:

 

‘It was a surprising city, which seemed as if it had come out of the valley unexpectedly, one winter’s night, like a prehistoric being, and clambered up with difficulty, stitching itself on to the side of the mountain. Everything in this city was old and made of stone, from the streets and fountains right up to the roofs of its big houses, a century old, which were covered with stone tiles the color of ash, like so many huge carapaces. It was difficult to believe that under these hard shells the soft flesh of life thrived and was renewed.’

          Ismail Kadare, Kronikë në gur (‘Chronicle in Stone’), Onufri, 2000

 

2. The path out of Thethi begins at a wooden bridge called the Gjeçaj Bridge, where the Shala River is fringed with willows and alders, and bubbles photogenically across rocks and stones. The track climbs very steeply through the settlement of Gjelaj, and then through beech forest to a beautiful alpine meadow, carpeted with lavender, clover of different colors, and little orchids. There is a slow spring at the top of the meadow where water-bottles can be replenished. In the fairly recent past, Thethi families used to live in the village in winter and move up to alps like this during the summer. This tradition has now been abandoned; these days, the only inhabitants of the meadows and forests are foxes, weasels, badgers, brown hares and squirrels.

Table of Contents

PART 1 GENERAL INFORMATIONChapter 1 Background Information Chapter 2 Practical InformationPART 2 THE GUIDEChapter 3 TiranaChapter 4 Central Albania Chapter 5 Northern Albania Chapter 6 Southern Albania Appendix 1 LanguageAppendix 2 Further InformationIndex

Editorial Reviews

Recommended reading

Wanderlust magazine

"The best all round guide yet to this fascinating country." The Sunday Times "An indispensable companion for all visitors." Mail on Sunday "[A] lucid and readable guide book... invaluable." The Observer

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