Delvina
©
Delvina

Delvina

Southern Albanian hillside town between Saranda and Gjirokastër, near Phoenice and Ottoman-era monuments.

Delvina is a small town in southern Albania, set on a hillside between Saranda and Gjirokastër. It is not a destination in its own right but a convenient stop on the road between the two major southern cities, with enough interesting buildings nearby to justify half a day.

The ruins of the ancient Greek city of Phoenice (Phoinike), capital of the Chaonians of Epirus, are six kilometres south on a defensible hill — one of the largest ancient sites in the country and far less visited than Butrint. Closer to town, the 17th-century Xhemahallë Complex is the best preserved early-Ottoman ensemble in the area, and the Gjin Aleksi Mosque in nearby Rusan is famous for its acoustics. The medieval St Nicholas Monastery at Mesopotam, with its unique carved animal reliefs, is another short detour. A Greek minority community has traditionally lived in this area (the region was known as "Northern Epirus" in Greek nationalist terminology).

The old castle above the town is worth a brief look for the views.

Guide

Getting There

Delvina is 16 kilometres northeast of Saranda and about 30 kilometres south of Gjirokastër. Local buses and furgons (shared minivans) connect the three towns. By car, the road from Saranda takes about 20 minutes.

Guide

Things to Do

Delvina itself is a small town that does not detain visitors long — an hour or two for the old castle, the Xhemahallë mosque complex, and a wander through the Ottoman streets. The real reason to detour from the Saranda–Gjirokastër road is the ancient city of Phoenice, just to the south, one of the largest archaeological sites in Albania. The 17th-century Gjin Aleksi Mosque in nearby Rusan and the medieval Mesopotam Monastery further down the valley round out a half-day or full-day loop.