There are countries that in the collective imagination remain anchored to an image, an episode, a moment in their history. Albania, for many Italians of my generation, has remained that of the landings of 1991, particularly the one of the Vlora ship, which arrived in Bari overloaded with people, thousands of men and boys portrayed in a famous photo - they were crowded on the dock, on the ship, in the water, you could feel a sense of mute desperation and the desire to change their own lives. Then, unless one had the courage to personally cross the Otranto Channel, and touch the reality of our neighbors, Albania remained there, a concept somewhat faded in the head, for some people still tied to thoughts such as "if you go there on vacation you are a bit strange." "Sometimes Italians come here thinking we bite," more than one Albanian told me. Yet a lot of water has passed under the bridge.
Johnny, a semi-domestic Dalmatian Pelican in the visitor center of the Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
A PICNIC ON THE TOWER
The visitor center of the Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
Picnic on the observation tower, Divjakë-Karavasta National Park Visitor Center, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
Picnic on the observation tower, Divjakë-Karavasta National Park Visitor Center, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
Biking in the Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
The little church Kisha e Shën Athanasit in Karavasta, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
Greater Flamingoes in the Karavasta Lagoon, Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
THE MORE-THAN-ZERO KM
The artist Tiku (Adriatik) Rrasa at his home, Babunje, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
Tiku's wife shows a handmade carpet - photo Stefano Brambilla
The tower / hotel / restaurant Skela i Pirgut, Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
PRISTINE NATURE
The coast of the Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
The visitor center and the staff of the Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
The cave of Haxhi Ali in the Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
Sofo's double flute sings a melancholy melody in the evening darkness. Jackals howl, only fireflies light up the farmyard. Far away, a few fireworks. The lights of the coast. The same ones that Albania, in spite of everything, sees at the end of the sea.
Dhurata prepares dinner, Tragjas, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
The peninsula of Karaburun from the house of Sofo and Dhurata, Tragjas, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
Sofo prepares the bread, Tragjas, Albania - photo Stefano Brambilla
INFORMATIONS
- Find out more about the DestiMED Plus project: website.
- Find out more about the protected areas of the MEET network: website; Facebook; Instagram.
- The tour and the individual ecotourism experiences described in the article can be booked with the tour operator Albanian Trip: website; Facebook; Instagram. Elton Caushi is the ideal person to answer every request on a trip to Albania and can organize tours of any duration and on any theme (such as history, nature, gastronomy, general culture).
- Some useful addresses for a trip to the areas described (although we highly recommend contacting Albanian Trip to organize activities and meet people). The visitor center of the Divjakë-Karavasta National Park is located just beyond the village of Divjakë: follow the signs for the coast (on Google Maps the tower is marked "Kulla 360 °"); here you can organize boat or bike trips with the park rangers. A trail map is also available. Continuing along the road, there are several fish restaurants and some hotels, from which you can easily access the coastal lagoons and the beach; Divjaka Resort (larger and older) and Pelikan (smaller and more modern) are recommended. In the southern part of the park, accessible only by circumnavigating the lagoon to the east, do not miss the Kisha and Shën Athanasit church in Karavasta and the Skela i Pirgut tower / restaurant / hotel in Adriatik. The small visitor center of the Karaburun-Sazan National Park is along the coastal road, just south of the Picasso hotel (recommended), next to the restaurant of the Qendra and Peshkimit fishermen's cooperative. You can ask on the spot to organize boat trips in the park.