EXCURSIONS TO APOLLONIA AND BERAT From Tirana (1 FULL DAY)
09:00 – 11:00 Meet with your guide at lobby hotel and drive for 2 h to Berat, known for its traditional character. Berat the ‘City of a thousand windows’. A beautiful hillside city beside the River Osum dominated by a mighty citadel with mosques, churches and cobbled streets. The 2,413 years-old city known as Antipatrea, is under the protection of UNESCO. Berat is a treasure-trove of Albanian history, culture and a testament to the country’s tradition of religious harmony. The three major neighborhoods of the old city are Mangalemi, Gorica, and Kala, where the castle itself is located and is made unique by the fact that people continue to live inside of it. The post-Byzantine monumental Cathedral of Shën Maria (Saint Mary) today houses a museum of works by the famous iconographers of the 16th century: Onufri and his son Nikolla. There are over 100 icons on display and they also include works of other artists such as Joan Çetiri, Onufër Qiprioti and many anonymous painters. Ottomans occupation has left its mark as well.
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch of tradition Albanian cuisine is suggested (optional)
14:00 – 15:30 Leave Berat and the journey will take you for an hour and a half to Apollonia Archeological Park. Apollonia was an ancient city in Illyria, located on the right bank of the Aous River (today Vjosë River), founded in 588 BCE by Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth, on a site initially occupied by Illyrian tribes. Apollonia flourished during the period of Roman rule in the area and was home to a renowned school of philosophy. The city began to decline in the 3rd century CE when its harbor began silting up as a result of an earthquake. Cicero, the famed Roman Orator, was captivated by the beauty of Apollonia and in his Philippics, referred to it as “magna urbs et gravis,” or “great and important city.” Today the site can easily be accessed from the nearby city of Fier and offers both unique views of the Adriatic coastline as well as an extensive collection of historical and archaeological items of interest.
16:30 – 18:30 After the visit we will drive back to Tirana.
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