Dardha, 300-year-old southern touristic village, at a height of 1344 meters, has unforgettable panoramas and delicious food being the place to spend your fantasy winter weekend. The name Dardha, meaning “pear” in Albanian, refers to a wild pear tree that became a landmark of the area. When people first asked the initial residents of the village where they lived, they would always answer “near the pear tree,” and, thus, the name was born. The village was established 300 years ago from “rebels” who refused to convert to Islam during the Ottoman Empire. Dardha village, in summer time in particular, is populated by the numerous inhabitants who are originally from the village and have turned their old houses into summer homes. Several metres down the centre of the village the visitors can come across a large stone building, the former school of the village, as a memory of past times. Many buildings have been constructed with contributions from the inhabitants who had immigrated particularly to USA. Dardhe is populated by an Orthodox [Vlach] population who also called Aromanians. There are a few families who were previously nomadic before settling in the village long before the Ottoman invasion in the region. Dardha offers an ideal place for skiing. In 2012, the first ever ski tow in Albania was opened at Bigell Ski Resort near Dardhe. It is also well-known for the plum rakia, produced out of a small, yellow, semi-wild plum and has a particular taste. People in the area do not produce grape rakia because grape do not grow in these parts.