Çdo ditë është e mirë në Mirditë!
This past week I spent three days in Mirditë, an enclave in northern Albania often overlooked by tourists and locals alike. Many drive past the highway to Mirditë on their way to more well-known and frequently visited destinations further North, or drive through on the motorway to Kosovo, without stopping to realize the opportunities.
Kulla & ferma në Trang Adventure
The visit was part of a FAM trip, hosting Albanian hiking guides and tour operators to introduce them to the nature, culture, and unique history of the region. Highlights of the trip included a sample of some of the new services offered for hiking and trekking, which include over 400 kilometers of trails. We also visited several churches, a nod to the region’s unique religious and political history, a quasi-independent Catholic stronghold even during the Ottoman and communist eras.
New Mountain Station (completely solar)
Guesthouse in Gurth-Spaç
Trekking and nature photography
We visited several Kulla, or “towers”, the traditional extended family homes of the region. These stone houses use to be more plentiful, but urbanization and economic transitions have left many in ruins or disrepair. Still, some of the remaining examples date back over 200 years, and are still inhabited by the families that have lived on the land for centuries, allowing visitors to step back in time to experience first-hand how the Albanians live.
Many elders in the region still wear the traditional costume, or elements of it, on a daily basis, a nod to something that could be lost in another generation. Finally, we visited a local winery, and guesthouse, where a mix of native Albanian and French varietals make for a local red blend you cannot find anywhere else.
Agrotourism Guesthouse & Winery “Bujtina Doda”
We also paid our respects at the notorious Spaç Prison, where anti-communist political prisoners endured hard labor in the mines, torture, and even execution for defying the state. The modern mine of the same name hovers over the ruins of the prison, a symbol of wealth and power that still looms over the people, an unbroken chain of “progress” and struggle.
Spaç – former political prison from Communist era
On our last day, we attended the opening of a new guesthouse at Trang Adventure area, a cooperative endeavor coordinated by Mirditë’s great benefactor, Marjana Graf, consisting of several adjacent private farms, with attractions and activities, on a rural hilltop overlooking a breathtaking gorge. The drive to get there is an adventure all its own, and requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and preferably a local driver familiar with off-roading in the area. But the payoff are gorgeous views, and isolated meadows, working farms, picturesque abandoned farmhouses, and a dragon cave. Plans are in place to add a balcony over the canyon.
Newly restored Kulla as guesthouse at Trang Aventura
With a new InfoKulla (Info-Tower), featuring interactive trail maps, a museum, a bee house, and a giftshop full of locally-crafted goods, Mirditë has a tourism management strategy and team that functions almost like a working DMO, something the country is sorely lacking. And like all Albanians, they were amazing hosts. We were well-informed, well-fed, and treated like honored guests, which is the Albanian standard. The people and places were a wonderful mixture of excitement and serenity, and I will be visiting again soon because, as I have learned… Every day is a good day in Mirditë.
Discussion with the Mayor and Tourism team from Mirditë in the Trang Adventure guesthouse
Tasting local honey at the InfoKulla
Love Mirdita