From Durres: visit Apollonia and Ardenica Monastery, Albania

Apollonia Albania full day: tour itinerary

You will departure at 9 am from Tirana to arrive in Apollonia (in Albanian Poian) at 11 am. The first part of the trip includes a guided tour of the archeological site. Walking through nature, among the ruins of thousand-old buildings, you will enter a unique atmosphere. There are a few archeological sites in the Mediterranean area that offer a similar landscape with beautiful ancient architecture and nature. And the Romans knew it! In fact, Cicero passed in this city and wrote some pages confirming that 60,000 people lived here. With the help of our guides, you will be able to identify the ruins of the antique city with the straight streets. Here you find what is left from the Hellenistic ancient theatre, the triumphal arch, the agora with its colonnade, the gym, the temple (Bouleuterion) or the monument of Agonothetes (in honor of the two brothers mentioned in the inscription of architrave), the Odeon, the library, and the various mosaic villas. Let’s not forget the fact that Apollonia is the place where the emperor Augustus was formed in 47 BC.

After the lunch break, the tour continues with a visit to the Ardenica Monastery, built in 1282 by the byzantine emperor Andronicus. Here we find the Church of Saint Mary, the Chapel of the Saint Trinity, the mill and stalls for the animals. A place that exudes sacredness, starting with the few gardens in the courtyard and inside wall murals. This place was where the wedding of the Albanian national hero, Skanderbeg, was held on April 21, 1451.

Apollonia Albania: a magical place between ancient Illyrian and Greek

Located 12km away from Fier city and also from the sea, Apollonia ruins are between the most visited archeological sites in Albania. Apollonia was founded near the Vjosa river in 588 BC from greek colonies of Corfu and Corinth. The area was also inhabited by the Taulantii tribe, the local Illyrian tribe that for centuries lived along with the Greek colonies. Apollonia was one of the 30 cities built in honor of Apollo goodness, the goodness of sun, poetry, and music. Soon it became an important port full of life. The city became rich thanks to the commercial activities and the port that could anchor about 100 ships. It grew prosperous until an earthquake destroyed almost all the buildings, thus slowly giving way to abandonment. Today, the ancient archeological site of Apollonia is one of the best-known sites in Albania. It is now an important destination for cultural tourism in the country, able to attract more and more visitors every year, and a potential recourse to improve the local economy.