…high time to explore and invest… …, ’s last secret!…

From the end of the WWII, the country experienced 45 years of communist dictatorship and complete isolation from the rest of the World

…nearly 700,000 “concrete mushrooms” are still spread all over the country… …a unique unexplored country with fascinating culture, friendly, warmth, and wonderful people…

…being a secret in the heart of Europe is an asset and unique attraction… Location

Neighboring Countries Italia – 72 km (Strait of Otranto) Macedonia Quick Facts • Small Country - 28,748 km² (11,100 square miles) • 362 km coastline along Adriatic and • comprise nearly 70% of the territory • variety of weather patterns and climatic regions – Coastal lowlands - typically Mediterranean weather; – Highlands - Mediterranean continental climate

Mediterranean Climate …The average temperatures between May – October are 23 – 31 °C….

…Albania climate is characterized by bright sunny days (second after in Europe). There are nearly 250 sunny days in the Northeast and 325 in Southwest… Why travel to Albania?

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011,

…Albania as the number one in the top 10 countries to visit in 2011…

…a great variety of seaside relaxation, from sandy to pebbly and rocky …

More than 200 km of sandy and pine beaches along (the only sandy beaches in east Adriatic coastline)…

Nearly 85% of this coastline is not yet developed…

…dense areas along Durres – Golemi coastline…

…less dense developments…

…but also vast virgin beaches along Adriatic coastline

Strong Mediterranean Patterns …centuries old tradition of olive trees planting… …nearly 5,590,000 olive trees … - Ionian Sea

...Albanian Riviera, a Frugal Paradise...

..NY Times June 2011..

…no one is seen standing on this . Everything is mine… Government of Albania – World Bank June 2005 – December 2012

– develop a sustainable in the South INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT Albania coast by improving critical AND CLEAN UP PROGRAM public environmental infrastructure and municipal services,

– remediate and contain pollution hazards from former chemical in Porto Romano near Durres

– improve community infrastructure

– enhance architectural and cultural resources.

Mountains represent nearly 2/3 of the whole Albanian territory, grouped in: • Albanian Alps Mountainous Adventure • Central Mountainous Range • South Mountainous Range

Valbona Valley – Albanian Alps Kulmaku Tyrbe

Mount Central Albania Valley …Drinos Valley, south ofAlbania … Drini Artificial – North Albania Jezerca Peak – Albanian Alps, 2694 m Small – Albanian Alps Thethi Valley – Albanian Alps (small village church) in Northern Alps Nothing may be sold or become private property in the upland or lowland pastures or in the common property of the Village and Banner, because these are free for the use of everyone... of Lek Dukagjini

Balkan’s Peace Park – will bring travellers to discover amazing mountainous landscapes with isolated charm-full valleys, ancient traditions and pagan legends

many guest houses operate throughout Alps, offering visitors food, shelter, and warm Albanian hospitality Inland water surface is nearly 1350 km²

…the main Rivers toward Adriatic: • Drini 285 km •Semani 281 km •Vjosa 272 km •Erzeni 109 km

Total area 363 km², of which 111 km within Albanian territory…

• average depth 145 m • max. depth 295 m

… the Ohrid lake, that came into being between four to ten million years ago, is Europe's oldest lake, and is amongst the oldest in the world, similar to Lake Baikal and Tanganyka .

Shkodra Lake The largest lake of the whole Balkan Peninsula. with a coast line of 57 km belonging to Republic of Albania, and 2 / 3 to Montenegro. Shkodra Lake

• Prespa lake • Consists of Great Prespa (285 km) and from Prespa e Vogel (44 km2). The Lake stretches between Albania, Greece and Macedonia

Prespa Lake Butrinti Lake and ancient city of Buthrot / UNESKO site …ferry along Drini lake, northern Albania… Eight , covering nearly 10,900 Ha, supporting traditional fisheries, fish farming and salt production

Karavastaja Lagoon One of the largest in the (nearly 3900 Ha). The lagoon is famous for the rare Dalmatian Pelican – nearly 5% of the world's population of this type of pelican is found in this lagoon Narta Lagoon

Area 4180 Ha, of which 1290 converted to a commercially operated salina Viluni Lagoon Kune – Vain Lagoon …nearly 13,4% of the Albanian territory is comprised of natural parks and protected areas such as forests, lakes, lagoons, pastures, etc.

“Bredhi i Hotoves” National Park

…map of protected areas in Albania Rich Historic Heritage

10 – archeological protected areas

9 – archeological parks

Over 1600 cultural monuments

Over 300 fortresses and

More than 200 churches and mosques

Over 130 cultural prime attractions

3 UNESCO protected areas The sight of high Phaeacia soon we lost

And skimm'd along ' rocky coast.

Then to Chaonia's port our course we bend,

And, landed, to Buthrotus' heights ascend.

Here wondrous things were loudly blaz'd fame:

How reviv'd the Trojan name,

And that Priam's captive son

Succeeded Pyrrhus in his bed and throne. , “Eneida”

National Park of – areal view Since 1992, Butrint is registered as an UNESCO world's estate in 1992, and as a World Heritage site in 1999 Proceeding on, another Troy I see,

Or, in less compass, Troy's epitome.

A riv'let by the name of Xanthus ran,

And I embrace the Scaean gate again.

Virgil, Eneida

Butrint: the Virgil’s “Skea Gate” and the "Lion Gate“ (5 c. BC). At the architrave is represented a lion devouring a bull, allusion of Aeneas of the bull before sailing toward to establish Apolonia, the 4 c. BC . Carved stone basement and the brick wall, among the first cases in the world of the massive use of baked bricks.

Amantia: The most beautiful example of the “lesbian masonry”: The flattened rock served as a defending wall and basement for the chiseled blocks jointed by curved faces (5th BC) The stadium of (3 BC). During the excavations, numerous statuettes of athletes were found. Among the winners of Olympic competitions appears the names of athletes from Amantia. Selca, the monumental tombs carved into the rock (4-3 BC), unique in the all ancient architecture because of their forms and elements. Archaeological excavations discovered here numerous valuable golden artifacts.

Durrës, “The Beauty of Dyrrachium”: A mosaic of river gravel with apulian motifs (4th c. BC). One of the most beatiful mosaics of the pre- roman antiquity.

Butrint, the head of Apollo, a roman copy of a probably disappeared model of Polykletes. The site of was founded at the 6th c. BC. By Strabo it is mentioned as "an exceedingly well- governed city" and Aristotle considered as an important example of an oligarchic system. The Roman emperor Augustus studied in Apollonia in 44 BC and it was there that he received news of Caesar's mord . For Cicero Apollonia was magna urbs et gravis, a great and severe city. Durrës, founded as Epidamnos in 627 BC, one of the oldest cities in Europe. For Aristotle Epidamnos was a “politically advanced society”, Cicero had to leave the city because it was “very noisy”.

One of most important monuments of Durrës is his Amphitheatre, built in the 2nd century AD. The Amphitheatre, having a capacity of 20,000 people, is one of the largest in the world, probably the fourth according to recent excavations,. The Baptistery of Butrint, constructed in the early 6th AD, is the second largest baptistery in all the Eastern . The intricate brightly colored mosaic has representations of land (), air (birds), and water (fish), symbolizing aspects of Christian salvation. Synagoge of Saranda (Onchesmos). According to a legend 2000 years ago, a ship full of Jewish slaves from Palestine landed at . A mosaic with seven-branched candelabrum (menorah) and a ram’s horn (shofar), symbols of Jewish holidays, demonstrate clearly that the ruins of the large mosaic paved building in Saranda belongs to a synagogue of the 5th- or 6th c. AD, one of the greatest in Mediterranean. …the magnificent and famous of Gjirokastra is an ancient building of stone, erected along a high ridge of rock. It stretches from east to west, a length of 600 steps wide and a width of 100 steps. The long crowned cortains give it the appearance of a galley ship… Evliya Çelebi, Seyahatname, november 1670. The UNESCO World Heritage Town of Gjirokastra. “It was a strange city, and seemed to have been cast up in the valley one winter’s night like some prehistoric creature that was now clawing its way up the mountainside. Everything in the city was old and made of stone, from the streets to the roofs of the old houses covered with grey slates like gigantic scales. That was only natural, for it was a stone city and its touch was rough and cold

Ismail Kadare, Chronicle in Stone

Gjirokastra, Zekati House.

…in a large house of Gjirokastra, you can not easily meet the people. They are fresh houses, excessive rooms, great and mysterious spaces, in the sense that there is always something to be repaired, something that is unfinished. Somewhere you don’t have to enter.

Ismail Kadare, Chronicle in Stone …bazaar has 200 elegant shops . In addition, there are 80 modern two-floor stores. Bazaar is an attractive one, with strong gates on both the entry exit wings, like a bezistan... Evliya Çelebi, Seyahatname, november 1670. The UNESCO World Heritage Town of . “The City of a Thousand Windows”, the Mangalem quarter

Mary and Child. Icon by Onufri (Onufri museum in Berat)

Onufri (first half of the 16th century) is one of the most prominent post- Byzantine painters.

He was the first to introduce the pink color into icon painting.

Onufri was the founder of his own school of painting The citadele of the castle of Berat and the Holy Trinity Church (13th century) The Kruja castle withstood three massive sieges from the Turks (1450, 1466, 1467), with garrisons usually no larger than 2,000-3,000 men. Mehmed II himself, “The Conqueror” of Constantinople, could not break the castle's small defenses during the life of Scanderbeg . …Lezha Castle: located on top of a 186 meter high hill, the castle originates from Illyrian times. In 1440 it was reconstructed by the Venetians, and in 1522, rebuilt by the Ottomans . The castle bears traces of Illyrian, Roman, Byzantine and . The rises on a rocky hill to the west of Shkodra city. The name is linked to the common Balkan legend “of the kept promise”. According to the legend, Rozafa, the wife of the youngest of three brothers, accepted to be buried alive in the walls of the castle. The fortress was commissioned by Ali Pasha Tepelena, to be donated to his wife Vasiliqi. The fortress is also mentioned by Alexander Dymas in his book “The Count of Monte Cristo”.

Ali Pasha Fortress at Porto Palermo Bashtova Castle is situated circa 3-4 km to the north of the Shkumbini River delta. The castle was built in the 15th century and was used by the Venetians. The Bashtova region was known as the Shkumbini river harbor and as a center of grains export. As one of the touristic attractions, the Petrela fortress is located along Tirane- national road, 18 km from . The fortress is perched on a rocky hill, above the village with the same name. It has a triangular shape with two observation towers. Shkodër, Ura e Mesit (Middle Bridge) 108 meters long, 12.5 meters height, with 13 stone arches. The bridge was built in the second half of the 18- th century by the Albanian Pasha of Shkodra, Mehmet Pasha Bushati.

Long, high, elegant, it has the beauty of a stretched bow. When you walk over, it looks like walking on a fragile egg shell, waiting to be broken at any moment.

…unique spiritual heritage…

…destined to be a hub of , (the , the Greeks and the Romans ), a meeting point of cultures (Albanian, Byzantine, Slavic, Turco-Persian), a place of coexistence of rival faiths and religions, nurtured in this historical cradle the harmony and respect for each other. Lazar’s resurrection (17 century icon of the Onufri museum). The icon is a clear example of the peaceful coexistence of religions: In the foreground St. Mary and the resurrected Lazarus, while the background shows mosques and minarets.

The mixture of minarets of mosques and grand Orthodox churches and chapels are a testament to the religious coexistence of inhabitants. Recently Berat was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list as an example of the co-existence of religions and cultures. Ethem Bey mosque (1789-1823), right in the centre of Tirana. Interior of the mosque is decorated by paintings of trees, waterfalls, flowers and bridges in a very fine and strange composition of islamic art. Orthodox Church in Korca …different faiths all hoping for a miracle…

…on an Albanian spring day, dozens of Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians toil together up a steep, winding slope to St Anthony’s Church , Lac…. …Albanian proverbial hospitality…

…the house belongs to God and the Guest… “Canon of Lek” …according to medieval law, hospitality was a sacred obligation, the host being required to avenge harm to one’s guest…

…little is known worldwide about the fact that only Albania in Europe protected its own Jews during the Holocaust while also offering shelter to other Jews who had escaped from Serbia, , and Greece…

…nearly 2,000 Jews fled to Albania during World War II. Fast paces of modern developments…

Tirana Quick Facts

Population (1 January, 2010) • 3,195,000 The youngest population in Europe • 43% of the population under 30 years old Large Diaspora – Albania, Kosovo and Diaspora – nearly 7.5 million; Foreign spoken languages • English (widely spoken) • Italian • Greek

…ongoing infrastructure improvements, boosting transportation and access to touristic areas From 2005 and on….. • 789 km of new roads, • 157 km of highway • 1948 km of roads - maintained or reconstructed

Year Tourist Arrivals (in thousands) 2005 750 2006 930 2007 2,100 2008 2,600 2009 3,000 Recent performance of 2010 3,500 Tourism Industry 2011 *3,000 Source: Albanian State Police Department of Border and Migration *January-June

Year Tourism Revenue (in million euros) 2004 592 2005 692 2006 805 2007 1,000 2008 1,200 2009 1,300 2010 1,200 Source: …new modern hotels and resorts…

…traditional, comfort restaurants and guesthouses… ..a culinary experience, rich of high nutritional values and delicious tastes. A visitor may enjoy plenty of traditional dishes as well as delights from all over the world, including Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and other international tastes… “Rally Albania” - the second largest racing activity in the , with the participation of about 15 – 20 European countries. ..paragliding…

…rafting…

..entertainment…

Albania is full of interesting places, where everyone can easily pass many hours enjoying the entertainment that can be found there.

The are also a wide range of bars, coffee shops and clubs all over Albania. Tirana, the capital city , have some of the most popular clubs in the country. Albania is the last secret of Europe. This small country between the Adriatic and the Ionian sea has it all; crystal clear beaches, great rivers, lakes, mountains, old heritage and modern towns. The best destination in an expensive Europe. Albania is the new spot in Europe.

Come and enjoy the country of Eagles!!