2013 Tour Details

Wed 9th - Thur 17th Oct 2013
with Oliver Gilkes FULL

9 Days || Oct: £2100

(sgl supp £125)
without flights £1860

2014 Tour Details

Fri 4th - Sat 12th April 2014
Fri 10th - Sat 18th Oct 2014

with Oliver Gilkes

NB - Planning for our 2014 Tours is still at quite an early stage and some details (sites, hotels, dates) may change. You can reserve a place on any 2014 tour with fixed, fully refundable deposit of £300 (no top-ups if you book before 31st May). Should you change your mind when the brochure (with finalised prices) is published in June/ July we will happily refund your deposit, or transfer you to another tour.

Tour Managers

Maximum Guests

Quotes

An unforgettable insight into a virtually unknown country before mass tourism arrives; seeing extraordinary survivals from every era of its turbulent history, all explained with erudition and humour by Oliver; finally, the company of like-minded and stimulating travelling companions.
The beauty of much of the countryside and its variety. The archaeological evidence and location of the sites visited and the historical interest, all stitched together in expert fashion by Oliver Gilkes against the background of local interest contributed by Ilia Grillo. A very satisfying mix.
I love visiting places before they have really developed their tourist industry, and the lack of modern development in the countryside in the south of Albania was truly a delight.
I enjoyed the variety of the places and sites visited and the fact that we were able to cover a lot of ground but Oliver's explanations were truly fantastic and fascinating (including about present day Albania and that made the tour).
A good mix of the sites seen; lovely, huge landscapes; fascinating history of a little known country.
Some superb archaeology- Apollonia was a particular favourite. Do emphasise the superb scenery in the south of Albania in the brochure. I was also full of admiration for the Albanian people. Oliver has unrivalled knowledge, a great capacity to teach and a great commitment to Albania.
A life-long ambition of mine was achieved by seeing Butrint - not disappointed.

Tour Type

Tour Codes

Oct 2013: ALB13C
Apr 2014: ALB14A
Oct 2014: ALB14B

Albania - Land of the Eagles

Two thousand years of largely untouched archaeological heritage – from classical cities to Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques.
Unspoilt landscapes: mountains, wildflowers (in spring), wooded hills and the clear blue waters of the Ionian coast.
Oliver Gilkes has excavated in Albania for many years, training a generation of Albanian archaeologists whilst witnessing firsthand the country’s exuberant post-communist transformation.

Albania's recent isolation means that there is still a magical sense of a time-warp in some areas. A coastal and mountainous country between Greece and Italy, much of its classical past is untouched - romantic ruins in glorious countryside. See what Jeremy Seal, writing for the Daily Telegraph, thought of our tour.

Geographically, and until recently, also culturally isolated through a post-war Stalinist regime, Albania is unlike any other European country. Caught between Greece and Rome, Albania was once home to classical cities which
vied in splendour with those of her mighty neighbours. There is a wonderful sense of discovery about Albanian archaeology: this is a place where pristine ruins really do still stand untouched, in splendid isolation, often amid meadows of wildflowers.

Oliver Gilkes, Andante’s archaeologist guide, has witnessed at first hand how the country has struggled to assert its new-found freedom during his 15 years of excavating and working here. His observations make fascinating listening, and add interest and depth to our study of this land in ancient times.

Andante has hand-picked an interesting mix of hotels (albeit from a fairly limited offering!) and has created a varied, expertly planned itinerary, introducing sites from many periods of Albania’s history. As modern Europe strengthens its hold, the remnants of the past will vanish in this country which has awoken after 50 years of isolation - so we suggest you visit now!

Highlights include the World Heritage Site of Butrint, once a prosperous ancient city, with wonderful views across to Corfu, and the attractive medieval town of Berat – where Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques jostle for space along the narrow streets.

"Albania’s adverse reputation is unfounded. It is clear that this is a country with a huge history undergoing very rapid change, so you were correct to advise seeing it now. The Andante team was absolutely first class in showing us this spectacular and unknown country."

Albania on our Blog:
A Hungry Archaeology in Albania - Guide Lecturer Oliver Gilkes on the highs (and occassional lows) of Balkan cuisine
Our Man in Albania - One of our hard-working Tour Administrators, Joe Shingles, recounts his first trip to Albania with Andante

Itinerary

Day One
Arrive in Tirana and drive to our modern hotel right in the heart of the city.

Day Two
Tirana, a city reinventing itself, a bustling capital, once austere, but now brightly painted, tenement blocks next to modern glass and steel skyscrapers. We visit the Archaeological Museum, National Historical Museum, Etham Bey Mosque and National Gallery.

Day Three
Drive to Apollonia, founded by the Corinthians in 588 BC, one of the largest cities on the Adriatic, the remains of which cover an enormous area. Today the city lies romantically covered by waving corn with grassy banks hinting at what is still buried. Continue along the beautiful Ionian coast to our hotel at Saranda, ancient Onchesmus, now a modern seaside town.

Day Four
Picturesque drive to spend all day at Butrint, probably Albania’s best-known site and the first World Heritage Site in the country. Guide Lecturer Oliver Gilkes has directed excavations at Butrint for many years, and describes it as: “One of the most striking archaeological sites in the Mediterranean: splendid ruins in a breathtaking setting - a thickly wooded hill by Lake Butrint on the shores of the Ionian Sea, all within sight of the island of Corfu. Modern research has made it possible to chart Butrint’s progression from a small coastal settlement to Epirote city and Roman Colony; through its collapse and then rebirth in the Middle Ages under Byzantines, Normans and Angevins to its final years as a Venetian and Ottoman outpost on the Ionian Sea.”

Day Five
A trip over the mountains from Saranda to the Gjirokastra valley and the town of Gjirokastra. A mountain stronghold, the city is dramatically set amidst the limestone peaks and was granted World Heritage status in 2004. Principal among Gjirokastra’s monuments is the great fortress that dominates the city and the late Ottoman mansions that festoon the steep slopes of the mountainside.

Day Six
A day of contrasts - first to Mesopotam to see the Byzantine monastery, with its elaborate church. Continue north through the rugged and changing landscape to visit the remote excavated Illyrian city of Byllis, sited on a mountaintop overlooking the Vjosa River valley.

Day Seven
Explore the attractive Medieval town of Berat, situated on a hill dominating the River Osum and its gorge. The lower city along the riversides was the preserve of the Muslim inhabitants, while by agreement the Christians held the citadel, so there are both Byzantine Churches and Mosques to visit, as well as the Onufri Museum.

Day Eight
Drive to Tirana via Durres (Epidamnos), Albania’s chief port. The main surviving structure is the 2nd century amphitheatre, the largest in the Balkans. Sections of the mighty brick walls of the 5th century also remain standing. Nearby recent excavations have uncovered a large circular colonnaded piazza, paved with marble. This extraordinary monument had shops and booths behind the colonnade.

Day Nine
Kruja, the last bastion of Christianity against the Ottoman Turks and now an interesting town set in beautiful countryside. Continue to Tirana airport for flight to London.

NB Order of visits on Days 8 and 9 will vary according to flight times.

What's Included

Flights - scheduled flights from London to Tirana
Local Travel - Private a/c coach; probably also off-road vehicles/minibuses to Byllis
Guide Lecturer - Oliver Gilkes (Oct). Not to be confused with "guest lecturers"! The guide lecturer will be with you from breakfast to supper, and probably even a drink in the bar afterwards. There is the occasional site where they may not be allowed to guide because of local regulations but otherwise the guides are just that. They will have been chosen because of specialist knowledge and their ability to communicate and interest you. After 28 years of making tours worldwide, we are highly appreciative of the attributes of a good guide, and intensely critical of people who do not possess them
Tour Managers - Joe Shingles (Oct 2013). We never know how best to call the very special people whom we choose to accompany you on your tour. They are usually employed in this capacity only by us, and have been trained to do things in the Andante way - unobtrusive, friendly and quietly efficient
Local Guide
Meals - All meals included (dinners with wine & water) except lunch day 9 (at the airport)
Entries and Tips - Entry to all sites in programme
Fieldnotes

Hotels

Hotels
2 + 1 nights in a modern 4* hotel in Tirana on the corner of Skanderberg square - comfortable rooms and generous breakfast;

tirana

3 nights in a 4* hotel by the sea in Saranda, on the sea front with views across to Corfu.

brilant

2 nights in a hotel in the town of Fier close to Berat.

Reading List

This list is no more than a guide to some books that you may find useful to read in advance of the tour. Talks given on the tour will attempt to fill in the background to what we are seeing, so no prior knowledge or pre-tour cramming is expected or needed. In many cases, we expect that you will find some of these books even more interesting and useful to read once the tour is over.

General Guide Books:

There are few good general guides in English. Many were written under the regime and are now hopelessly out of date, for example Philip Ward's·Guide to Albania, although still to be found on sale. There are two, however, which are, with some reservations, not too bad.

Robert Carver (1998)·The Accursed Mountains·(This is a strange book. Carver provides an overly bleak view of Albania and many of his comments are simply not accurate, even considering that it describes a journey in 1996. However, it is very readable and provides a modern take on the incomprehension with which many people first meet Albania.)

Gillian Gloyer (2006)·The Bradt Guide Albania. An excellent guide to the country, the best and most up to date currently available in English, though it does have some odd lapses and gaps. Highly recommended.

James Pettifer (1996)·Blue Guide: Albania. The latest edition (updated 1996) of the Blue Guide series which traditionally have a strong reputation to maintain. This is provides very full coverage, although there are still many inaccuracies and some misleading information.

Linda White (1994)·An Albanian Journal and Guide. This guide is interesting as it is done as a sketch of the country before and after the fall of the communist regime. It is now a little dated as things have changed a lot in the past 9 years.

Histories:

Jason Tomes (2003, pbk 2007)·King Zog, self-made monarch of Albania. Excellent study of 1930's Albania and its peculiar monarch.

Miranda Vickers (1995)·The Albanians: A Modern History. The best short history of Albania currently available, providing insights into its modern condition. Highly recommended.

Donald Nicol (1993)·The Last Centuries of Byzantium. A general account of the closing years of the Byzantine Empire with a lot of information about the Balkans and the origins of Albania. Recommended.

John Wilkes·The Illyrians. A modern survey of this ancient people who figure very strongly in the concept of modern Albania. Recommended.

Katherine Fleming (1999)·The Muslim Bonaparte: Diplomacy and Orientalism in Ali Pashas Greece.·Good modern study of the enigmatic Ali Pasha

Other works:

Lord Byron·Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Available in many editions, Byron's great poem is at least partly auto-biographical, recounting his meeting with Ali Pasha at Tepelene. Recommended.

Edith Durham (1908 - but available in Phoenix Press)·High Albania

Richard Hodges (2006)·Eternal Butrint·Periplus Books

Edward Lear (1847 - but available in a modern paperback edition)·Diary of a Landscape Painter in Greece and Epirus. Lear was one of the early travellers in the area of Albania who has left his impressions of the country. Recommended.

Enver Hoxha (1986)·The Artful Albanian. A drastically edited version of Hoxha's 40 volume memoirs. It can be heavy going but it is an interesting insight into the complicated personality of the ex-head of the Party of Labour of Albania. Recommended.

Tom Winnifrith (2002)·Badlands Borderlands: A History of Southern Albania/Northern Epirus.

David Smiley (1994)·Irregular Regular. A personalised account of the activities of the Special Operations Executive in Albania during the war.

For the enthusiastic there are also several ancient authors who provide information on the area. The following are all available in Penguin Classics:

Caesar·The Civil War

Cicero·Letters to Atticus·and·Letters to his Friends

Anna Commena·The Alexiad

Livy·Rome and the Mediterranean

Polybius·The Rise of the Roman Empire

Slightly more difficult to acquire are the works of early travellers, especially William Martin Leake, François Pouqueville (in French), Thomas Smart Hughes, and Henry Tozer. However they do repay the effort (especially Leake and Hughes) providing vivid accounts of travelling in 19th·century Albania. They can be acquired as new paperbacks from Elibron classics at·http://www.elibron.com/english/

Maps:

Bartholomew publish a·European Travel Map of Albania, scale 1:450,000, though beware, there are no accurate maps of Albania's roads generally available.

Book Now!

Fri 11th - Sat 19th Oct 2013 with Oliver Gilkes	Singles: Full	Twin / Doubles: Full
Fri 4th - Sat 12th Apr 2014 with Oliver Gilkes	Singles: Available	Twin / Doubles: Available
Fri 10th - Sat 18th Oct 2014 with Oliver Gilkes	Singles: Available	Twin / Doubles: Available

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