Not only lovers of beach holidays can enjoy trips to Albanian towns, this small country in the Balkans also has a lot of attractions that can impress and win over travellers. Almost every town has many treasures, be it an old Ottoman stone mosque or an entire ancient city with ruins of residential buildings and remains of a Roman amphitheatre.

It took Italian archaeologist Luigi Maria Ugolini over 10 years to unearth the true diamond of the Ancient world, the ancient city of Butrint in the vicinity of the modern Albanian city of Sarande. People abandoned this city that was established by Ancient Greeks, reinforced by Ancient Romans, conquered by Byzantines, and made famous by the Republic of Venice, only after Ottoman troops had conquered its grounds. Its architecture has traces of many historical periods, and they can be explored in the archaeological reserve museum of Butrint.

Then-powerful walls of the fortress that used to surround the acropolis in the 5th century BC, along with the Lion Gate embellished with a stone bas-relief depicting a lion, still impress with their grandeur. One simply needs to use their imagination, and suddenly, the beautiful ancient city starts to come alive before the very eyes. There, Ancient Greeks, and later, Romans used to arrive in the ancient city in their chariots.

In a modest sanctuary with a statue of Asclepius, god of medicine, they used to pray to be saved and cured of ailments, and in the Roman amphitheatre that dates back to the 3rd century BC, they used to sit on stone steps awaiting a theatre performance or a fatal gladiatorial game. Noble citizens used to reside in luxurious Roman villas, they used to gather at the forum to discuss the city’s affairs, and then they used to go to Roman thermae, the ruins of which have survived in pristine condition. Early Christians also left their mark in Butrint history. In the 6th century AD, they built a baptistery with a gorgeous floor mosaic.