View from Rruga Papavangjeli

As you follow this road, you enjoy a wide view over the modern part of Gjirokastër, where more recent neighbourhoods spread out across the plain at the foot of the historic town. In front of you opens the Drino Valley, a broad and fertile landscape that shapes the whole region and has long acted as a natural corridor between northern and southern Albania. The Drino River meanders through this agricultural plain, lined with fields, orchards and villages, while the surrounding mountains create an open horizon, very different from the steep, compact terrain of the old town above. This close link between the modern city and the valley helps explain Gjirokastër’s recent growth and its role as a regional centre.