Albania

Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër reveals itself in layers of stone. Roofs follow the slope beneath the fortress, lanes climb between houses and, from above, the Drino valley opens out below. The Albanian city is often called the stone city, but its most compelling feature is not a single material: it is the way a steep landscape, a bazaar and remarkable houses have grown together beneath the castle. Come prepared to walk slowly. The old town is beautiful precisely…...