Today, the city of Gjirokastra lives between history and modernity and is famous for being one of Albania’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Built on excessively steep terrain, this city defied the cliffs and slopes on which it stands from its very inception. Here is where the lives and fates of some of Albania’s most famous families were built. Their beautiful, traditional houses testify to their remaining legacies
The traditional houses of Gjirokastra are known for their impeccable designs, beautiful decorations, warmth, hospitality and natural lighting. Indeed, without sunlight, the medieval stone-city would have cast a long shadow on the lives of its residents. The latter, on the contrary, was quite vibrant. It is precisely this city’s hard-to-describe, distinct atmosphere and appearance that filled so many of Kadare’s pages.