In search of frescoes in Albania

I love frescoes, and Albania has some very nice examples, the majority of which are to be found south of Tirana.  At the moment there is a lot of discussion about the fact that many churches are completely abandoned, and so their frescoes are suffering.  A recent newspaper article describing a small church in the south whose roof has collapsed, exposing its frescoes to the elements, highlights the urgent need to find funding to protect these cultural treasures.

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2017/06/post-byzantine-monastery-collapses-in.html

I haven't managed to visit all of them, but here is what information I have been able to gather about the best examples.  Apologies for my poor quality photos, but as you know flash can't be used. I have included some links to images online.

Voskopoje, Korça
Half an hours' drive from Korça, Voskopoje is a lovely village boasting several fabulous churches:

• Saint Nicholas
• Saint Mary
• Saint Athanasius
  
• Saint Michael
• Saint Elijah

They are locked but the tourist office holds the keys and the woman will take you to them.  If it is closed, ask in the bar and they will phone her.  We were only able to visit 3 of the churches but Saint Athanasius, for me, was the most beautiful, with wall and ceiling frescoes.   Take a torch as it is very dark inside. Photography isn't permitted but here is an excellent blog with photos:

https://blog.women-on-the-road.com/churches-of-voskopoje/
http://manuelcohen.photoshelter.com/image/I0000o5ObB9JkWMU

Vithkuq, Korça
St. Michael's church
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vithkuq

Mborja, Korça
Ristozit Church, 14th century, is locked but if you ask at the village shop, they will find the key holder.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g318868-d3476255-r360280919-Paleochristian_Church-Korce_Korce_County.html

Leusa and Kosina churches, near Permet 
Mentioned in the excellent Bradt guide, but I havent been able to visit them as yet as we were told in Permet that it was impossible to get there in our car, and it was too darned hot to walk.

Dhermi
Tiny, crumbling St Mary's church is perched up on the hill above the charming village of Dhermi.
The frescoes are quite primitive but utterly fascinating.

 

Here is a link for much better images than I was able to get.

http://wikimapia.org/19741788/St-Mary-s-Church#/photo/5629002

Old Himara

The even more crumbly.  There are lovely views from the ruins, and wandering around the old town is very pleasant, but there isn't a lot to see. 

 

Ardenice Monastery
Dating from the 18th Century, this lovely little monastery is set up on a hill behind Kolonje.
Don't worry if it looks closed, knock and open the door and you should find a person waiting to show you around.  The walls are completely covered with dark but interesting frescoes in reasonable condition.  Go up to the gallery where you will find more frescoes.

 

 Apollonia

 13th century St Mary's church, inside the Roman site of Apollonia, a few kms out of Fier has a few pale frescoes, while there are large frescoes on the walls of the refectory of the monastery, but in poorer condition. 

Shelcan, Elbasan

A few miles south of Elbasan, it is a pleasant drive up the hills to the hamlet of Shenesh.

The small church is locked but the neighbour will open up for you.  The walls are covered in slightly faded but very interesting frescoes.

Valesh, Elbasan
https://www.archaeology.org/issues/90-1305/trenches/754-albania-onufri-frescoes-vandalized


St Mary's,   Berat
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-frescoes-1578-st-mary-of-blachernes-church-berat-albania-32861045.html

St Theodore (Shen Todri),  Berat
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Theodore%27s_Church,_Berat#/media/File:St._Theodor-Kirche,_Berat.jpg

King's Mosque,  Berat
https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attraction_Review-g469422-d12347175-Reviews-The_King_Mosque-Berat_Berat_County.html

Krushov, Korça
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-mediaeval-fresco-in-krushove-church-near-voskopoje-albania-europe-18342396.html

Et'hem Bey Mosque, Tirana
Next to the clocktower just off Skanderberg Square;  however when I was there in summer 2018 the entire site was closed off as the mosque is undergoing restoration. 

Kruja, Dollma teje inside the citadel
http://eleanoraroundtheworld.com/europe/albania/

St Naum Monastery, Macedonia
Just over the border, a short drive from Pogradec, St Naum is now a hotel and part of an unusual resort on the lake.  The tiny chapel has some dark, but pretty frescoes.

I have no doubt that there are many more stunning frescoes adorning churches tucked away in villages all over Albania.  If you have information on any, please let me know so that I can include them.

Happy frescoe hunting!

Check out my other blog Dawn's Bag in which I record my other travels:
 https://dawnsbag.blogspot.com/2019/07/road-trip-in-romania-2019.html

2018 Albania revisted - part three - Tirana to Korça

With mixed feelings we bade farewell to wonderful Tirana and headed south.

Day 8  Elbasan, Lin, Korça

The road to Elbasan passes through some stunning countryside.  There is a new road which gets you there in around 45 mins.  The town is not as interesting as we had expected.  The medieval city walls are impressive from the outside, but inside there wasn't much to detain us.  St Mary's church was closed and the mosque is pretty but very simple.  However, you can enjoy delicious traditional dishes in Elbasan for next to nothing.  

After a lazy lunch, we set off in search of Shenesh, a few kms south, up in the hills, and location of the charming church of St Nicholas.  Park at the junction and walk 100m up the hill.  The church is kept locked, but the neighbour is happy to open it for you.  Inside, the walls are covered with splendid frescoes.  

The road from Elbasan to Korça is largley slow and tiresome, but does pass through some impressive scenery, particularly as you descend from the pass and Lake Ochrid comes into view.  As you go up the pass you will witness a curious sight - loads of men with hosepipes who seem to earn a living washing cars using mountain spring water.

Lin is a delightful, tiny village on the edge of the lake.  It is known for its mosaic, which in fact is pretty but not really worth the hike up the hill to see it, although the views are nice.   There is only one narrow street, which is occupied by kids playing, sheep, goats, cows and people going about their daily business.  A hotel and restaurant sits right on top of the water so you can have lunch looking out at the tantalising mountains of Macedonia on the other side of the lake.

Driving down the edge of the lake is pretty marvellous.  Pogradec is an uninspiring town, but do stop for a lunch at the restaurant on the lake, which specialises in the famous Koran fish, which is only found in Lake Ochrid.  Follow the signs to Korça, which take you up through more mountains and more tiring bends in the road.

The town of Korça has a few places to visit, but we came back because last year we really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and regretted staying only 2 nights.  It is home of the famous and delicious Korça beer.   Korça is a good base for visiting the many small villages in the area.  We opted for Voskopoje, which is a lovely traditional village with loads of  churches, several with outstanding frescoes.  

Oddly, the tourist information centre is a Mondrian-style modern building, which is cool but looks entirely out of place in the main square of the village.  The information officer has keys to the marvellous churches and will show you around them.  The most amazing is St. Thanas; however photos are not permitted.  A torch is though and is highly recommended as the interior is dark  and the best frescoes are on the ceiling.

Unfortunately we were caught in a severe summer lightning storm while there.  The roads became rivers of muddy water which made driving back quite scary as in many places the sides of the road had been washed down covering the road with mud and rocks. 
 

While a line of drivers stood scratching our heads, wondering how to get through the flood, an old woman in wellies marched through with her mule, completely unperturbed

We were advised not to return to Saranda by the mountain road which we had travelled along last year; the only alternative was retrace the road back via Elbasan to the Riviera.  Halfway, we stopped for the night in Lushnje in Hotel El Don Park.  What an odd experience.  The hotel is large, but we appeared to be the only guests and had the huge swimming pool to ourselves for the duration.  Lushnje is a dull place although I loved the socialist statue in the main square.  

All in all, it was a great trip; different in that we knew what to expect this time, but seemed to get closer to the Albanian people, had many interesting conversations over beers and raki, and saw some amazing sights.   Gezuar!

check out my other blog Dawn's Bag, in which I record my travels:
https://dawnsbag.blogspot.com/2019/07/road-trip-in-romania-2019.html

2018 Albania revisted - part 2 - Tirana

Continuing our packed itinerary we set off again...

Day 4 Ardenice, Tirana

We had chosen the Hotel Natyra, Kolonje, for its proximity to Ardenice Monastery, which is a couple of kms further up the hill, not signposted, but turn left when you get to a T junction. 

Our first impression was that it was closed, but we tried the door handle and was open. The monastery is free to visit and a man will open the church whose walls are covered with marvellous frescoes which you are not allowed to photograph. Upstairs there is one painted wall which we were allowed to photograph. 

And on to Tirana.  

Traffic in the capital is rather chaotic but manageable.  Just keep alert for unexpected maneouvres from other cars.  Google led us on a right merry dance around tiny, back streets which were no more than tracks to get to our hotel.  We had booked 2 nights in Hotel Orchidea, principally because it is close to the centre and has a swimming pool.  What an excellent choice it was!  Frida, the young receptionist, gave us a warm welcome, albeit informing us that they had no record of our reservation.  We were put in a huge apartment on-site until a hotel room was available.  The staff must be the friendliest in Tirana and attended to our every needs, including bringing towels and pillows to the pool. Tirana is extremely hot in summer, so a dip in the pool was very welcome.

Tirana is quite clearly an ambitious city in the midst of transition.  Skanderberg Square is lined by an odd mix of huge communist era buildings, ottoman buildings, some random 20th century houses and shops, flanked by a couple of impressive new skyscrapers and the pristine Toptani shopping centre, which was deserted of customers when I was there.  

modern Toptani shopping centre empty on a Saturday

Day 5 - 7  Tirana

Tirana has a relaxed feeling.  There seems to be a lot of space (and not enough shade in the baking summer sun!) with the huge Skanderberg Square and its broad boulevards.  Having said that, out of the centre, the neighbourhoods are reminiscent of Athens for example: lively, colourful, rather run down in places, but with a friendly atmosphere.

the history museum

We made a bee line for the fabulous History museum in Skanderberg Square.  Exibits range from ancient Illyrian artefacts through medieval icons, communist and post communist memorabilia.  All fascinating.  About half of the museum is translated to English, mainly the ancient stuff, which is a shame as the 20th century exhibits really require translation in order to appreciate them as many are newspapers, posters or videos. Still, some of the photos and videos are spine-chilling. 


The old mosque would have been next on the itinerary but is currently closed for renovation.  The Tirana mosaic is also temporarily closed.  So on to the excellent National Gallery which hosts a splendid exhibition of socialist art. 

the dilapidated Pyramid building

Formerly a museum dedicated to the communist leader Enver Hoxha, the Pyramid is now dilapidated and covered with graffiti. But as it is on the boulevard leading to Tirana Park you might as well stop for a few minutes to watch visitor climbing to the top.   We went to the park to visit the British war memorial.

On the opposite side of town, a little out of the centre, is the Bektashi World headquarters which is well worth an hour.  At the gate, the guard will welcome you and find an English-speaking Dervish to show you around. The teke (temple) is huge, sparkling and ornate both inside and out.  The museum shows many aspects of the Order from history, clothing, traditional food etc.  Free admission.

Bunk'art 2  is situated only a few strides from Skanderberg Sq. and is a fascinating, if somewhat repetitive, insight into the communist era paranoia.  The underground nuclear shelter explains the workings of the secret police and includes many shocking videos as well as all sorts of artefacts: the first ever computer in Albania, spying and communications equipment, clothes, newspapers etc. 

entrance to Bunk'art 2

the control room with the first computer in Albania

Nightlife in Tirana centres around two hubs: the Old Bazaar, close to Skanderberg Square, is busy but fairly quiet and civilised; on the other hand the Blloku area, south of the river, is packed with revellers enjoying expensive cocktails with very loud music blasting from the speakers of each and every establishment.  Most of the food on offer is fast food, pasta and pizza. We also drove up the Djati mountain to dine at one of the traditional restaurants while admiring great views of the city, and were delighted to find a birthday celebration in progress with traditional music and dancing. 

Tirana is a great city; although it doesn't boast many historical buildings, there are lots of interesting things to see and do.  It is mostly walkable from Skanderberg Sq. and if not taxis, like everything else, are cheap.  Its relaxed, friendly feeling left us with a desire to return soon.

Next stop Korça:
https://albaniawow.blogspot.com/2018/08/2018-albania-revisted-part-three-to.html

check out my other blog Dawn's Bag, in which I record my travels:
https://dawnsbag.blogspot.com/2019/07/road-trip-in-romania-2019.html

2018 Albania revisted - the coast

After a wonderful holiday exploring the south and east of Albania last year, we felt we had unfinished business and decided to return to find out more about the famed Riviera and the capital, Tirana.

Once again we landed in Corfu and took the 13.00 ferry to Saranda  (remember ferry tickets, 23€ one way, can be bought online or in the shops outside the terminal but not in the actual terminal).  We hired a car from Saranda Holiday Cars and set off for the Riviera.  Car hire is around 35€ a day in Albania!  Although accommodation can be as cheap as 25€ for a double room, eating out is pricier on the Riviera than the rest of Albania, although cheap compared to other Eurpoean countries. Saranda is noticeably expensive due to the influx of daytrippers from Corfu and cruiseships.

Day 1 - 3  Qeparo, Borsh, Himara

Qeparo is surrounded by mountains

view from Villa Panorma apartment

Our first 3 nights were spent in the small village of Qeparo (pron. tchéparoo) staying in the great Villa Panorma apartments, only a few, very steep steps from the beach.  It is a sleepy kind of place, two or three restaurants, a couple of bars and few tourists, mainly families.   The beach is pebble but the water is crystal clear.  Qeparo makes a good base for exploring neighbouring Borsh and Himara.

Borsh is a long, mostly pebble beach

Not much remains of Borsh castle but the views are great

Like most of the Riviera villages, Borsh and Himara consist of the main nucleus on the main road half way up the mountain, the old village higher up, and the lower village on the beach.  There's not much to Borsh, but I must recommend the Ojivara restaurant, on the righthand side of the main road as you enter, magnificently built on top of a waterfall.  The beach is huge but not very attractive in my opinion.  However, for that reason it is a lot quieter than many of the other beaches.

Himara

Himara is a sizeable Greek- speaking town. There are 3 main beaches lined with hotels and restaurants as you would expect.  Scenic Old Himara is a couple of kms north, perched high up on a hill.  We parked on the main road and walked up to explore the semi-abandoned village, which includes a lovely crumbling church with some faded frescoes inside.  Be sure to pop your head inside the bar on the main road.

Porto Palermo is a pretty peninsula will a lovely little pebble beach, and the impressive Ali Pasha fortress. For 200 lek you can wander around a warren of empty but atmospheric rooms including the prison, and enjoy great views from the roof.

 

Day 4  Dhermi, Llogara, Orikum, Vlore, Apollonia

The drive north along the coast is tiring but lovely.  The road is twisty, narrow, up and down, an often blocked by various farm animals.  We stopped at quaint Dhermi to hunt out St Mary's church, which is signposted as Krisha Panagia and accessed by a narrow road near the beginning of the village.  You can drive about half way up and then you can climb the steps for the 100 metres.  The church is delightful, although crumbling, and covered with fascinating frescoes. 

Driving through the Llogara Pass was an unexpected experience.  In a short space of time we travelled from sun-soaked baking coast to 1000m cloud-enveloped Alpine style mountains.  The National Park is very popular with those seeking to escape the summer heat and there are a couple of large hotels inside the park.  

From there you descend down to Orikum, which I had been told is nice, but in fact is a very unattractive modern town with windswept gravelly beaches. 

Next up is Vlore, a modern city, which has recently revamped the coast, building a wide palm-lined promenade on the beach.  We didnt stop as we were headed for Zvernec Monastery on the island in the Narta Lagoon, a few kms north of Vlore.  

The lagoon is lovely, and walking across the boardwalk is quite exciting.  Only the church is open to the public and although it is pretty, it is only mildly interesting.

Finally, having navigated the busy and ugly streets of Fier, we reached the ancient Greek city of Apollonia. 

There is a small entrance fee, but we were there for a couple of hours.  The site is extensive but, with the exception of the monument, and the amphitheatre, much of it is ruins.  There is a good museum housing the artefacts from the site.  The monastery and church of St Mary were built on top of the Greek city and some small mosaics can be seen.  There are frescoes but in poor condition.  The guard will allow you to go up the tower for a small tip. 

There are 2 restaurants on the site.  We had a drink in Leon Rey taverna which has a gorgeous garden with wonderful views over the valley. Note that the bars and the museum close at 6pm.

Finally, exhausted, we arrived at Hotel Natyra, Kolonje, which is difficult to find; we had to ask for help, and a kind man led us through the village, up the hill where there is a signpost.  This large, family owned hotel has very basic rooms, but is in a lovely setting.  Dinner was dry chicken and rice and fried/burnt mixed vegetables.  Breakfast is served in the garden; the norm in Albania: a huge plate of eggs, cheese, fried bread, tomatoes, cucumber and fruit, together with  coffee and water. The owners are lovely but don't speak any English at all, so communication was via Google Translate and phoning their son when we got into difficulties. (BTW although booking.com said there was only one room vacant, in fact there were only us and one other couple in the hotel.)

view from breakfast table

Next stop Tirana!  
https://albaniawow.blogspot.com/2018/08/2018-albania-revisted-part-2-tirana.html

check out my other blog Dawn's Bag, in which I record my travels:
https://dawnsbag.blogspot.com/2019/07/road-trip-in-romania-2019.html