Ilyrians and Romans and Greeks, oh my!

Butrint is an ancient Roman city not far from Saranda, overlooking a river valley. Throughout its history it was inhabited by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Venetians and it encapsulates almost 3,000 years of European history in one compact if slightly off-the-tourist map location. For this reason, and for the reason of being located in Albania, in 1992 UNESCO included Butrint in its "World Heritage List".

To my untrained eye, Butrint is well-preserved. That is to say, you can clearly see the structure of most buildings, the amphitheatre is completely intact, and you can even see traces of paintings in what's left of the church. Before all others, you'll stumble upon the ruins of an early baptistery (one of the first in the Christian world.)

Unfortunately, there are few signs with explanations, so you mostly have to guess what things are or else go with someone who actually knows what they're looking at. Wander through the pathways and look for the Lions Gate - a low doorway with a carving of a beast over it. My personal interpretation is that this was where lions would run in to enter the amphitheater and feast on a gladiator.

Rules and prices are still negotiable in Albania, as the lack of safely rails and barriers shows. You can climb around an ancient basilica as if it were your personal playground. Admission to this archeological wonder was $2 for Albanians, with double the rate for Americans. I got a discount for being a student - now that's some flexibility! You can get there by driving along the coast, or by taking a taxi from the city center - you should ask your driver to wait or come back for you because the ruins are pretty isolated. There were perhaps three people poking around the ruins when I was there.