Things to do in Durres

Durres ( Durrës )is an Albanian municipality of 113 249 inhabitants, capital of the prefecture of the same name, as well as the third largest city in Albania by number of inhabitants after the capital Tirana and Vlora. Founded according to tradition in 626 BC. from Greek colonists, it became one of the main centers of the Adriatic Sea: after acquiring particular importance under Roman rule, to which we owe one of the main symbols of the city, the amphitheater, which is on the list of candidate sites for the humanity, the city was governed by the Byzantines, to then be often the object of raids by the Bulgarians and Ostrogoths. In the 13th century the city was disputed between Venice and Constantinople, then driven out by the Normans and finally by the Angevins, who strengthened the defenses of Durazzo. After the Ottoman rule, which lasted about four centuries, Durres became the capital of the principality of Albania, playing a fundamental role in the various stages of evolution of the modern Republic of Albania. Equipped with the most important Albanian port on the Adriatic, Durres is one of the main economic centers of the country as well as a renowned seaside and tourist resort.