Albania is one of the most underrated and least touristed corners of Europe, with fantastic history, cuisine, and scenery, and a prime example of that scenery is the Albanian Riviera along its 172-kilometre (107-mile) Ionian Sea coast, a place where the sun stretches across the deep sea 300 days per year; where there are splendid configurations of rocky and isolated small beaches; and the mountains and hillsides are covered in Mediterranean vegetation and dotted with charming villages
Gjirokastra (also spelled Gjirokastër) is a town in southern Albania which in 2005 was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a highly historic city and placed on slopes of the Drino River valley, with beautiful scenery and bordered by high mountains.
Known as the "City of a Thousand Stairs" Gjirokastra is characterized by cobblestone streets and Ottoman-era houses with stone roofs and wooden balconies. Gjirokastra's historic castle is located on top of a hill. The city has a troubled p
