And now we will take a short walk along the southern Albanian Riviera. This road is often called the «Riviera of Roses» because in the spring a huge number of rose bushes bloom here, and the air is filled with the aroma of the «queen of flowers»! We offer you an overview of some of the attractions of the southern coast.
Not far from Saranda, in a glorious place with such a native name Borsh, there is the VALLEY OF WATERFALLS. Many streams that originate in the mountains merge into a real waterfall, which is an amazingly beautiful sight. In the summer heat it is so nice to relax in the shade of spreading oaks and listen to the sound of water.
Moving further into the mountains, we get to DHERMI, which is one of nine small coastal settlements in the south of Albania. This picturesque place is located almost in the middle between Saranda and the first capital of Albania — the city of Vlora. The amazing natural beauty of the clean coast of the Ionian Sea, surrounded by citrus and olive plantations, was mentioned in the works of the famous poet Horace. In general, the name of the settlement means «oak grove» in Greek. Dhermi is one of the oldest Albanian villages and is famous for its numerous Orthodox churches and chapels, which are located on the picturesque mountain slopes. The most famous are the Church of St. Stephen and St. Demetrius, built in the 12th century, or, for example, the Church of the Holy Mother of God, which dates back to the 14th century. In addition, Dhermi is famous for its beaches and the amazingly clean coast of the Ionian Sea, on which there are many modern hotels, where more and more foreign tourists vacation every year.
Not far from Dhermi there is another small village with the poetic Greek name of HIMARA. As the name suggests, this settlement was founded by the Greeks many centuries ago. That is why the ruins of an ancient fortress and several ancient monasteries have been preserved in the territory of Himara. Himara stretches for many kilometers along the Ionian coast, which, like a magnet, attracts vacationers!
The next pearl of the Albanian Riviera is certainly the fortress of Porto Palermo, located in a very beautiful place, a bay of the same name. In ancient times, this bay was known as «Panorama». This fortress is very unusual in terms of architecture, it is the so-called «covered fortress», which has no analogues in the whole of Albania! Very often this fortress is called the castle of Ali Pasha Tepelenski, but this is not quite true. In fact, the fortress was built long before Ali Pasha appeared, but was rebuilt and strengthened just during the reign of the great despot and dictator. The height of the castle walls is 20 meters, and the thickness reaches two and a half meters. The citadel of the fortress is located in an incredibly picturesque place, surrounded by mountains, greenery and the sea, which has an absolutely amazing turquoise color. Porto Palermo is often called the «Albanian Provence» because there are fields of mountain tea and thyme, which is why the air in this place is filled with amazing aromas of herbs and flowers! And just a few steps from the castle, the chapel of St. Nicholas is comfortably located, which Ali Pasha built especially for his Orthodox (and mind you, beloved!) wife Vasiliki in the 18th century.
And we continue our journey along the coast and begin to climb the mountains along a steep serpentine. A walk to the mountain pass is a real adventure, because we have to climb to a height of more than two thousand meters, when the clouds remain far below! Believe me, this is an unforgettable sight … At the very top of the mountain is the Llogara National Park, which occupies an area of more than a thousand hectares. In the Park, you can find rare species of flora and fauna. Of the plants, the most unusual is, of course, the mast pine, or flag pine, which in shape resembles the eagle from the Albanian flag! The air in Llogara is mixed: mountain and sea, which is extremely beneficial for health. At the top of the mountain there are several restaurants and hotels, as well as observation decks from which you can admire the stunning views.
In addition, the National Park is home to real reindeer, which you can feed right from your hands. In winter, Llogara gets snow, which turns this place into a real Christmas fairy tale!