Hal yang Dapat Dilakukan di Albania

Fakta cepat: Legenda mengatakan bahwa tembok kastil dibangun dengan mengorbankan seorang wanita, Rozafa, yang dikubur hidup-hidup di dalam tembok untuk menahannya. Dari ketinggian tempatnya berdiri, matamu dapat memeluk sekaligus Danau Shkodra, Sungai Buna, dan Pegunungan Alpen Albania.

Sorotan: Di dalam kastil, di antara reruntuhan, kamu akan menemukan sisa-sisa gereja abad ke-13 serta lukisan dinding yang masih tersisa di beberapa tempat. Setiap musim panas, halamannya berubah menjadi panggung teater dan menjadi tuan rumah festival teater internasional kota ini, dengan pertunjukan di bawah langit berbintang.

Fakta cepat: The water emerges from a depth of more than 50 meters and springs forth at a rate of about 6 cubic meters per second. The water temperature remains at 10-12 degrees Celsius all year round, which makes swimming in the summer particularly refreshing.

Sorotan: Beneath the surface, divers have explored the spring to a depth of over 50 meters without yet reaching the bottom, making the true depth unknown. The striking blue hue is created by the incredible clarity of the water, which reflects light in a way that resembles a living sapphire.

Fakta cepat: The castle rises on a hill that offers panoramic views over the entire port of Saranda and the Greek islands of Corfu across the way. It is named after the Lëkurësi family, a local aristocratic family that held the area during the Ottoman period.

Sorotan: Its real advantage is that it stands on a hill just a few minutes' walk from the city center, something rare for such well-preserved castles. From its walls you see both coasts at the same time, Albania and Corfu, in a unique viewing angle that takes your breath away.

Fakta cepat: Ribuan tahun sejarah muat dalam satu tempat, dari koloni Yunani abad ke-6 SM hingga benteng Bizantium dan menara Venesia. Teater dengan 2.500 kursi ini tetap hampir utuh dan suara laut masih terdengar dari kursi-kursi bagian atas.

Sorotan: Baptisteri abad ke-6 ini menyimpan lantai mozaik yang menakjubkan dengan motif burung merak dan burung-burung lain, dengan warna yang tetap hidup setelah 1.500 tahun. Hanya sedikit pengunjung yang naik ke kastil Venesia di puncak, dari sana kamu bisa melihat seluruh taman, kanal Vivari, dan pulau Corfu di tengah birunya cakrawala.

Fakta cepat: The castle rises on a 336-meter hill and the first fortification dates back to the 6th century, when it was built by local tribes. The clock tower, added in 1811, features a mechanism constructed in Constantinople that still works to this day.

Sorotan: Inside the castle there is a war aviation museum with 45 aircraft, among them a captured American plane that made an emergency landing in the country in 1957 and was kept by the communist authorities. The Italian Fiat G.50 plane on display, along with the rest of the exhibits, is located in underground galleries that pass beneath the fortress's foundations.

Fakta cepat: Lapangan terbuka yang luas membingkai patung penunggang kuda yang menjulang tinggi di tengahnya, tempat penduduk setempat dan mahasiswa berbaur di antara bangunan megah dan jalan setapak yang lebar. Malam hari menghadirkan musisi jalanan dan kafe dadakan, sementara paving marmer pucat menangkap cahaya dan mengubah ruang menjadi panggung terang untuk festival.

Sorotan: Seorang penunggang kuda perunggu yang menjulang tinggi menjadi pusat alun-alun, penduduk setempat sudah lama menggosok sanggurdi kanan kuda untuk keberuntungan hingga logam itu berkilau di bawah kamera wisatawan. Setelah renovasi tahun 2017, ruang terbuka itu diaspal dengan sekitar 20.000 lempengan granit terang dan gelap, sehingga ketika sinar matahari sore menjelang sore menyentuhnya, Anda mendapatkan mosaik hangat dari emas dan arang yang berbau samar kopi dari kafe-kafe di sekitarnya.

Fakta cepat: It holds about 15,000 spectators and is the largest Roman amphitheater ever discovered in Albania. Its arena lies at a depth of about 20 meters below the current level of the city, as centuries have buried a large part of it.

Sorotan: Beneath the ruins, 10th-century frescoes were found in incredibly good condition, adorning an early Christian chapel within the seating area. Archaeologists estimate that it was used for gladiatorial games for over 300 years, before being converted into a Christian place of worship.

Fakta cepat: About 1,600 people still live within its walls, making it one of the few inhabited castle-towns in the Balkans. The Church of the Virgin of Blachernae features unique frescoes dating from the 16th century.

Sorotan: The residents of the houses inside the castle have continued the tradition of winemaking and craftsmanship for centuries, with many courtyards hiding old grape presses. As you walk along the cobbled alleys, you will see elderly women knitting lace on their doorsteps and offering you raki, as if nothing has changed since the Ottoman period.

Fakta cepat: Inside the castle of Kruja, this 19th-century Ottoman manor houses over 200 objects of everyday life. Its stone walls reach 60 centimeters in thickness, keeping the cool even during the hottest summer month.

Sorotan: On the ground floor you will see the original olive press that operated with the whole family, while the guest room has a ceiling decorated with painted flowers that have not faded in 150 years. The hosts of the house received up to 40 guests at once, and the special reception room shows exactly how they hosted so many people in such a compact space.

Fakta cepat: The castle rises on a 608-meter hill and offers panoramic views over the plain and the sea. Within its walls houses the National Museum of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, which honors Albania's national hero.

Sorotan: The museum keeps the genuine sword of Skanderbeg, which is said to have weighed so much that only he himself could lift it. The clock tower inside the castle dates from the Ottoman period and still stands upright after five centuries.