After leaving Gjirokaster for our journey north to Tirana on the back leg (Day 6) of our tour, we made a morning stop at Byllis. It would turn out to be one of the highlights of the trip in my opinion.
Situated on a hillside overlooking the Vjosa River, this extensive archaeological site had remains from its foundation by the Illyrians around 370 – 350BC and the expansion under the Romans until its sacking and subsequent abandonment in 586 AD in the early Byzantine period.
What added to the beauty of the place was its virtual seclusion – the vastness of the site plus the fact that our group were almost the only visitors at the time. Reviews of the site refer to its remote location and the difficulty reaching it when travelling independently, but that’s not a factor when one is on a guided coach tour.
There are the ruins of about five basilicas on the site, and one of these is referred to as the Cathedral. We were very fortunate in that the mosaics in the Cathedral, usually covered for protection, were available to view on the day we visited (unlike our experience at Butrint, for example). The site at Byllis also contains ruins of a theatre, an agora, a stadium and Roman baths as well as a long section of the city walls.
We spent about two hours wandering around – all very unhurried (again, as opposed to our Butrint experience) – and then had a most pleasant leisurely lunch in the restaurant opposite the Byllis site. (Lunches had become a major feature of this holiday, and there was still a day in Tirana to come.)
And then it was off on our travels again as we continued our journey north to the capital, invigorated by the fresh air, the views, the history (and the lunch!) of en excellent morning excursion.
The China Penguin 