Agroturizëm Dukat

Kalaja e Gjon Boçarit, in the village of Dukat, is a fortified residence built by the Boçari family in the second half of the 18th century, overlooking the valley. Now a first-category protected monument, it keeps traces of living quarters inside its walls.

Built in 1542 under Ottoman rule, the Muradie Mosque is attributed to Mimar Sinan, the empire’s court architect. It stands in the centre of Vlorë, simple and elegant in form, with a plain, naturally lit interior; dress respectfully if you go inside.

The National Museum of Independence is housed in the building where Ismail Qemali’s first Albanian government sat after independence was declared in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Opened in 1936, it displays original documents, flags and patriots’ belongings.

Kaninë Castle crowns a hill south of Vlorë, with views across the bay. Its origins are Illyrian, and it was rebuilt in turn by the Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans; in the 14th century it was the seat of the Principality of Valona until the Ottomans took it in 1417. Its walls and towers can still be explored.

Zvërnec Monastery, dedicated to St Mary, stands among pines on a small island in the Narta Lagoon, reached on foot across a wooden bridge. Its medieval church, usually dated to the 13th–14th century, keeps fragments of frescoes and has been a listed cultural monument since 1963.

Narta Lagoon is a shallow, brackish lagoon of more than 40 km² by the Vjosa delta, part of the Vjosë–Nartë Protected Landscape declared in 2004. UNESCO describes it as a key stopover and wintering site for migratory birds such as the greater flamingo, so binoculars are worth bringing.