Berat in the PM

To continue about our trip on Saturday, from Apollonia we rode across a different part of central Albania, known for its oil deposits, and a richer population that profited from its resources. My Italian friends couldn't stop remarking about the enormous number of new homes and businesses everywhere we went. The flourishing of a variety of activities is evident.

We finally reached the millenian city of Berat, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is built on both sides of the Osum river. Its old Byzantine citadel overlooks the modern part of town that spreads out on terraced terrain where several are the churches containing works by the well known, 16th century painter Onufri.

Before visiting the local sights, we had a late, but marvelous lunch at Castle Park, a new establishment on one of the hilly sides of the town, on the road to Gorica, where we sampled a few of the dishes typical of this area. The stuffed olives, eggplants, grape leaves with rice, the roasted lamb and grilled meats had extremely delicate flavors and were totally delectable!


After re-crossing the river we ascended to the old part of town and its towering fortress. I then realized that we were entering this area from the opposite site that was used 13 years ago during my first visit here. Through a large, arched passage we began to climb on foot the white and yellow stone, polished, narrow streets in search of the Onufri Museum.

It's not easy to walk steep uphills after a full meal, but the effort was worth it! We spent a considerable amount of time here, especially inside the Cathedral of St. Nicholas where we received extensive explanations from a woman that also runs the nearby souvenir shop.



the elaborate pulpit

The exquisite, intricate, and elaborate woodwork covered with layers of gold is the result of dedicated years of work on the part of 45 artists (click on any picture to see details)

the main altar wall



Innumerable are the icons of all sizes, and outstanding is the one below by Onufri, dating back to the 1600's, of the "Madonna and Child". It's interestingly odd that the the 'child' here is depicted on the right arm, instead of the usual left.

Onufri was a master of the technique of frescos and icons, and the first to use the pink color in painting, which the French named "Onufri's Red".

Berat is an Ottoman town, considered one of the oldest in Albania with settlements dating back to at least to the 6th century B.C.. It's known as the "Town of a Thousand Windows" due to the peculiar type of architecture of its houses, most of which have upper windows overhanging the ones at the lower level.



Trinity Church


As the evening was setting in and the bright, orange color sun was disappearing in the western horizon, we started our return to Tirana, via another route, and covered the 94km to the capital in about 2 1/2 hours. It was a long, but perfect day overall.