Saranda and Butrinti, southern Albania

Saranda (or Sarandë when in a sentence with a preposition as in "to", "in" or "from Saranda") is a very attractive town on the Ionian sea, with the Greek island of Corfu only 12.5 km away on the horizon. It has a population of about 32,000 inhabitants and has become a major tourist destination with an attractive beach along its open bay. There are a few sights in the town itself, like the ruins of a 5th Century synagogue, but its main attraction is its location and climate.

About 24 km south of Saranda is the ancient site of Butrinti (or Butrint when in a sentence with a preposition), originally a Greek town (Bouthroton), first occupied between the 10th and 8th centuries BCE. It was strategically important and had a theatre, a sanctuary to Asclepius and an agora in the 4th Century BCE. In 228 BC Bouthroton became a Roman protectorate (Buthrotum) and in 44 BC, Caesar was designated a colony by Caesar. Over the years it was expanded as a truly Roman town, was partly destroyed by an earthquake in the 3rd century CE, but rebuilt; it included the grand Triconch Palace, the house of a major local notable. built around 425.

In the early 6th century CE, Buthrotum became the seat of a bishop and a large baptistry, one of the largest such Paleochristian buildings of its type, and a basilica were built. Emperor Justinian strengthened the walls of the city; even so, in 550 it was sacked by the Ostrogoths. It changed hands many times in the Middle Ages, including the Bulgarian and Byzantine Empires, the Angevins of southern Italy and the Venetians. In 1797, Butrinti was ceded by Venice to the French, but was conquered two years later by the local Turkish governor Ali Pasha Tepelena. It was a part of the Ottoman Empire until Albanian independence in 1912. By that time, the site of the original city had been unoccupied for centuries and was surrounded by malarial marshes. In 1992 Butrinti was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

	The beach of Saranda	Saranda Promenade	Orthodox church in Saranda	5th Century synagogue
	Saranda beach	Butrinti Lagoon	Triconch Palace, Butrinti	Butrinti baptistry
	Byzantine basilica	Well of the Nymphs	Cyclopean Wall	Greek Theatre, Butrinti

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