Përmet is a small town in southern Albania, tucked into a mountain valley where the Vjosa river runs fast and cold over large boulders. It's not pretty — the Germans burnt it to the ground in 1943–44 — but it has more history packed into it than most Albanian towns twice its size, and the surrounding landscape more than makes up for the architecture.
The town was an early centre of Albanian nationalism in the 19th century, and later a hotbed of anti-fascist resistance during World War II. The 6th Partisan Brigade was founded here by Enver Hoxha and Mehmet Shehu in 1943, and on 24 May 1944 the Congress of Përmet was held here — the gathering that laid the political foundation for the communist takeover that autumn. The nationalist association Bashkimi (Unity) was also formed here in 1909. Much of the surrounding mountain population is of Vlach descent, and the Frashëri brothers — key figures of the Albanian national awakening — were born nearby.
A British SOE liaison officer, T.W. Tilman, passed through in August 1943 and noted the layers of destruction: "Përmeti itself had suffered in that campaign, and had recently been burnt again by the Italians as a reprisal for some partisan action." The town is first mentioned in 15th-century chronicles, and almost certainly sits on an older settlement.
The food and drink are a reason to stop. While much of southern Albania — especially Gjirokastër — makes raki from grapes, Përmet's raki is distilled from plums, closer to Serbian or Slovak slivovitz than to grappa. It's worth trying. The town has also become a modest centre of traditional Albanian music. If you're heading south toward Gjirokastër or east toward the Macedonian border, Përmet makes a genuine stop rather than a transit point.
The Vjosa river is worth your time. After heavy rain it becomes a torrent rushing over boulders — dramatic and cold. Above town, the Dhëmbëli mountain rises to 2,050 metres and offers good hiking. The day trip to the Benja thermal baths in the Lengarica canyon is the standout excursion from Përmet — hot springs beside a cold river under dramatic cliffs, with an Ottoman bridge nearby.