Berat

Berat in central Albania is an elegant stone-and-alabaster city wreathed in fig trees and cleaved by the Osumi river.

The city's life began in the 6th-5th century B.C. as an Illyrian settlement. Later, in the 3rd century B.C., it was turned into a castle city known as Antipatrea. The castle expanded afterwards, particularly during the feudal dominion of the Muzakaj family. Inside the castle, they built churches with valuable frescoes and icons, and also a calligraphy school. Uniquely today, residents still live inside of the castle walls. The three major neighborhoods of the old city are Mangalemi, Gorica, and Kala, where the castle itself is located.

In Mangalemi, below the castle, you can see the famous view of the facades of the houses, with windows that seem to stand above each other. In general, a traditional house has two floors, where the second is prominent and has many cambered windows and wood carvings. With its houses built along the steep hill, the view of Mangalemi is the reason that another name for Berat is the City of the Floating Windows.

What to do in Berat

Between the unusual Berat Castel and the medieval market, historic mosques, local cuisine, a lively cafe scene and one of the handsomest Ethnographic Museums in the Balkans, Berat has a lot to offer. Not to mention the spectacular valleys, canyons and wineries within easy reach of the city. There are so many reasons to add a few days in Berat to your Albania itinerary.