From the Illyrians, (who bequeathed their language), to Lord Byron, this unknown region of Europe has held fascination. This tour is taking a route few have followed in the last 100 years. Our journey, for a small group of explorers, will reveal a countryside of great, if harsh beauty from sea to mountain ranges.
Making the same crossing from Corfu as the archaic Greeks and the Venetians once did, we land at Saranda. This town carries signs both of the political upheavals that scarred Albania in the 1990s and of the present jerry-building boom. But these overlie great antiquity of which we see glimpses before visiting one of the most spectacular of classical cities at Butrint. This, Virgil believed to be the new Troy - ‘a microcosm of Mediterranean history.’ Excavations, begun by the Italians in the 1920s, continue under the auspices of the Butrint Foundation, which was set up by the Lords Rothschild and Sainsbury and is now Britain’s biggest investment in Albania. Here, as at the other classical sites, Louise Schofield, archeologist and Director of the Gjirokaster Trust will join us. She was formally curator at the British Museum of Greek Bronze Age Antiquities.
We then make our way inland by the mountain passes to Gjirokaster mentioned by John Hobhouse when travelling with Byron. Built over five hills and overlooked by its castle dating from the early middle ages to King Zog, the old town is a picturesque mix of sombre stone roofs, Turkish architecture and patterned cobbled streets. Private visits to some of the best conserved of the houses will be a special feature of our stay here.
From Gjirokaster, we will travel to villages where the way of life is under threat from emigration. Although rarely visited by outsiders, these villages are fascinating. Important as much for their agriculture and handicrafts, churches and classical sites as for the bunkers installed by the ever watchful Hoxha in the 1960s amidst breathtaking scenery.
At Sofratika the Roman theatre lies undisturbed among sheep and goats. At Libohaves, Ali Pasha gave his castle built in the early 19th century, to his sister, although by the time of Waterloo such architecture can only have been for show. Here, is also a Roman burial site. On Ali Pasha’s castle at Trepelena there is a fine plaque to Byron and more importantly , down the valley to Benche, ( the front line between the Greeks and the Italians in 1940/1), we are given an insight into his astonishing engineering skills. Benche is a village of terraced vinyards and fine weaving.
In some villages the churches were torn down, but at Permet two survive and we shall visit others to the east of Gjirokaster, at Mingul and Nokove. The most evocative must be Transochiste, an isolated monastery set against the mountains in which are caves for the hermit monks , reminescent of Goreme. Here, art historian, Lucy Abel Smith will discuss the architecture and the paintings of the churches. The drama of the landscape and the hospitality of the villagers has to be experienced to be believed.

PRACTICALITIES

Price £1,230 per person
Deposit £200 per person
Single room supplement £120 per person
Price includes economy tickets on scheduled flight*, accommodation in the four star Corfu Palace and the Hotel Kalemi in Gjirokaster, all meals, all experts, tour escort, all tips, taxes and ground transport by mini bus or private car and the boat between Corfu to Saranda. Clients are expected to pay for their extras,

*The cost of the return air tickets is about £320 (We are retailers for ATOL holders for flight). You will be invoiced separately for this but it is included in the cost of the tour.

There will be a donation to the Gjirokaster Trust of £50 per person

THIS TOUR MUST BE THROUGH REALITY & BEYOND