Day 12 - Island Fortress, Ancient Ruins & BEAUTIFUL Byzantine Church
Thursday, May 29
Island Fortress (late 18th C)
We drove along the coast of the Ioanian Sea to the bay of Porto Polermo to the island fortress of Ali Pasha, a notorious Albanian ruler. The Ottoman-style stone edifice is surrounded by walls 20 meters high.
There used to be an Albanian submarine base built by the Russians in the 1950’s. (It looks like it could be used in a James Bond movie!)
More beautiful scenery….
Apollonia Archaeological Park contains ruins built as far back as 558 BC. Surrounded by a Roman wall near the Adriatic Sea coast, Apollonia was mentioned by both Aristotle and Cicero, and in its day was known as an important center of trade. It had a population of 65,000 until the 4th C. AD.
Also at the site is a beautifully preserved 13th century Byzantine church and monastery of Saint Mary. All throughout is fascinating imagery symbolizing the power of Christ over mythical creatures and the power of the devil.
The Iconostasis at the front of the church, behind which only the priest can go.
Some cool carvings on columns of the portico/courtyard of the church.
There is also a small museum there:
After this, we drove on to Berat for the night. Our hotel is very interesting! It was a private university that didn’t make it and was converted to a hotel 4 years ago. It is visible from most everywhere in the town and is referred to as the “capitol”!
Tomorrow: Our last day in Albania!