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    Shkoder, Albania: We Found the “Little Venice” of the Balkans



    Shkoder, Albania: We Found the “Little Venice” of the Balkans

    Shkodër, Albania: We Found the “Little Venice” of the Balkans

    We left Tirana expecting a quiet stopover but what we found instead was a city that completely stopped us in our tracks. Shkodër, known locally as Shkodra, has been called the Little Venice of the Balkans. Walk its main boulevard and you understand why immediately. The pastel colours, the symmetrical windows, the cafe culture spilling onto the streets. It was all deliberately designed by a local polymath called Kole Idromeno, who trained in Venice in the 1800s and came home determined to recreate it. And before that, in the 14th century, this city was actually a Venetian stronghold called Scutari, the most important trading hub on the entire Adriatic.

    But Shkodra is not all beautiful streets and cheap spritzes. There is a darker side that most visitors never find. The Marubi Archive holds three generations of photography documenting the city’s history, and midway through the exhibition the tone shifts completely into the communist era. From there we visited the Site of Witness and Memory, a former Franciscan college that was turned into a communist prison. Hundreds of faces line the walls. Twenty five blank rectangles mark the victims still unidentified.

    What surprised us most was the religious harmony. A mosque, a Catholic cathedral and an Orthodox cathedral all sit within two minutes of each other. All three were rebuilt after communism fell, with different faiths helping each other. It is unlike anything we have seen anywhere else in Europe.
    We also made it out to Rozafa Castle, an ancient fortress perched above the point where three rivers meet, with a haunting legend and Venetian ruins hidden in its walls. Entry costs just 4 euros. And we finished the day at Lake Shkoder, the largest lake in Southern Europe, just a 10 minute taxi ride from the city centre.

    A few practical things worth knowing if you are planning a visit. A spritz here costs 3 euros, the same price we pay in Venice. A suite at the Red Bricks Hotel cost us around 50 pounds a night. Food, taxis and groceries are all significantly cheaper than anywhere else we visited in Europe this winter.

    Do it soon. It will not stay undiscovered for long.

    Chapters:
    00:00 Welcome to Shkodra: Albania’s Little Venice
    01:20 The Venetian Boulevard: Rruga Kole Idromeno
    04:13 The Marubi Archive: Albania’s Visual Memory
    05:46 The Site of Witness and Memory: Inside a Communist Prison
    08:11 Three Faiths, One City: Religious Harmony in Shkodra
    11:52 The 3 Euro Spritz: Albania’s Cafe Culture
    15:00 Traditional Albanian Dinner: Food and Wine Prices
    18:00 Rozafa Castle: Ancient Fortress and the Legend of Rozafa
    23:19 Lake Shkoder: Southern Europe’s Largest Lake
    25:18 Our Honest Verdict on Albania
    28:06 Next Week: We Cross into Montenegro

    Original Soundtrack by Adam
    All music is original, composed and produced by Adam (PhD in direct audio-visual relationships) to capture the cinematic atmosphere of every destination we visit.

    Who are The Floating Nomads?
    We are Rick and Adam, The Floating Nomads. We sold the house, quit the 9 to 5 and now live a life of constant slow travel by train, ferry and water. When not on our UK narrowboat Serenissima, we live abroad for months at a time. Whether spending 200+ days in Malta and Venice or travelling from Buxton to Brazil without flying – check out our channel links section to read about that one — we share the practical reality of life on the move. Our films combine Rick’s marketing strategy with Adam’s music PhD to capture the authentic atmosphere of every destination we visit.

    Support the Journey
    New Films: Every Friday evening (UK time).
    Channel Members: Early access every Thursday, starting at just £2.99 per month. Members also unlock exclusive B-Side extra videos. Click Join under any video to help support our work.
    Subscribe and join us onboard and abroad. @TheFloatingNomads

    #Shkoder #Shkodra #Albania #LittleVeniceOfTheBalkans #FloatingNomads

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    44 Comments

    1. @TheFloatingNomads on

      Welcome to Shkodër!
      This episode was a massive journey of contrasts for us, we loved the Italian-style boulevards and are glad we got to see some of the history of Albania's communist past.

      For those of you looking to visit and asking about our accommodation, here is the link to the brilliant hotel we used as our base: https://www.theredbricks-al.com/

      During the video we take you inside the holding cells at the Site of Witness and Memory. We wanted to share the specific story of the young woman whose cell we stood in, as it is truly harrowing. Her name was María Tuci, a 22-year-old local school teacher. Because she refused to succumb to the regime and continued to remind her students about her faith, she was imprisoned by the secret police. In one of the most brutal acts of torture recorded there, she was forced into a sack with a wild cat, and the guards then repeatedly beat the cat with crowbars. She was left unrecognisable and tragically died from her injuries in the prison hospital in 1950. She is now remembered as the only woman among the 38 Albanian Catholic martyrs. It is a stark, sobering reminder of exactly what the people of this city endured. 

      A massive thank you to our 'Floating Nomads Club' members who have been supporting the channel and got this episode 24 hours early.

      Want to see how this episode was made? If you want to see exactly how Adam composed the musical score for that specific prison sequence, our brand-new exclusive B-side video is waiting in the members' area right now. Just hit the 'Join' button below to get instant access!

      Thanks for watching!

      Rick & Adam x

    7. @oneshoan on

      Considering I have offended two YouTube channels this week I’m afraid to say anything! But I’ve sent your channel to a nephew who is planning to go to Albania to live for six months. He’s also interested in Malta. Win, win because of you guys. I truly enjoyed this video for countless reasons. Can’t wait for the next episode!!! Thank both of you for letting me travel through your eyes!!!

    8. @pamsmith7369 on

      Just subscribed a week or so ago and love your videos!
      As I said before, I’ve seen other snapshots of Albania and yours are better! Comprehensive and entertaining whilst giving context to things like prices, culture, language and food and drink!
      Thanks!

    16. @barryutah on

      I told you, you'd love Shkoder. Of course that was after you had already fallen for it. 🤭You mentioned two ways to pronounce Shkoder, did you happen to notice how many ways it is spelled around town (business signs)…definitely more than two.

      No shots of the outdoor nightlife at night? When I was there in July, it was WAY busier at night, hardly any vacant seats. And the lighting makes the streets even better looking…if you can believe it. Not just Idromeno, but numerous streets around. Like Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, people just go out at night to socialize. Midweek nights were just as busy as the weekend.

      Not to make you feel bad but I was 64 last summer when I walked from downtown, across the rickety bridge over the river then back to hike up the hill to Rozafa. Then walked down the hill and back downtown. Ok, maybe trying to make you feel a little bad. 🤏😆

      I don't remember the specifics, but I've read that Italy helped Albania in wars (which ones 🤷‍♂) and some Italians stayed. Which somewhat explains why Italian is one of the predominate second languages in certain cities, especially with the older population. May also explain why some of the pizza is SO good. Oh, and my favorite Albanian dish? It's quite simple but SOOOO good…Qofte (meatball) soup (but not in the traditional sense of meatballs)…Mmmm.

      Glad you enjoyed Shkoder and nice video.

    18. @holyrs1575 on

      You can use both Shkoder and Shkodra, Shkodra is used as a noun/subject is a sentence example: " Shkodra is beautiful", while Shkoder is used as an object, example: " i bought this in Shkoder".

      Ofc there are exeptions, but thats the general rule of thumb, same with Tirana, Tiranë, female names that usually end with a loose the a and get the ë, Vlora/Vlorë , Saranda/Sarandë etc.

      These can also be forms, i dont wanna confuse you guys, bcs there is also the form in there bcs i dont even know the correct grammatical terms in english 😂.

      TLDR, BOTH SHKODER AND SHKODRA ARE CORRECT😂

    19. @corrrnie2.459 on

      oh no 😢 you‘re leaving albania???? you‘ve GOT to come back very soon…..Gjirokastër is amazing, …Syri i Kaltër will blow your mind, …Vlora, Saranda, Berat, gorgeous beaches. And yes, the Albanians are very friendly and kind. Anyway, loved your video, what a beautiful old town, you two make videos with such love and in such detail ❤ thank you 🎉🎉

    21. @SparkySenor on

      I'm so pleased you've enjoyed your time in Albania. I went November/December 2023 staying in Tirana and Durrës, I'd love to return but do not drive and felt the bus system was a bit disjointed, I might need to investigate a bit more. Great content, watched all your vlogs so far.

    25. @blackcat.19 on

      Guys. Malsi is the wrong translation in Italian because the Italians thought it was Malzi. Malsi is northern Albania also and has nothing to do with eastern slavs. Eastern slavs have not hsitory in this region or heritage. Malsi is northern Albanian also along with Dardania and Macedonia. These all are Albanians land filled with Albania history and heritage!!

    30. @balkan_weather123 on

      Thank you for visiting my city! About the name "Albanian Venice", it is an old name for the city, because of the great port in the Buna river and the grand bazaar near it. The port was since the Venetian rule and the bazaar was expanded during Ottoman rule. It was one of the greatest economic centers in the Mediterranean until the 1800-1900s. Unfortunately, all of this was destroyed during communism and the name "Albanian Venice" faded away.

    33. @miras1565 on

      Beautiful video about my beautiful city, Shkodra! So much nostalgia!!
      Happy you had a good time there. Your pronunciation is on point for many of the names and places you visited there 😊 . Great job in introducing the history of Shkodër and Rozafa Castle.

    36. @marcoluppo5783 on

      Actually all aristocrats of Shkoder (Scutari) during Ottoman invasion fled to Venezia. They open the first Albanian school in 14th century and many streets of Venezia have Albanian names such as Rruga.

    37. @eaglempire_mapper on

      Hello. Just to note that Shkodër is the indefinite form and Shkodra is the definite form. In Albanian language the nouns, pronouns and adjectives have both indefinite and definite form and the difference is made by watching the ending of the word. Even place names have this rule. For example: Shkodra is literally translated "The Shkodër", Shkodër is just Shkodër. But in english it is pointless to say The Shkodër so it is said according to the Albanian way. Another example is Tiranë (indefinite), Tirana (definite)

    38. @ruaidhrikathygill8833 on

      I think this might be one of, if not my favorite place that I have seen you travel to. Such a fascinating, and tragic history. The photographic museum looked amazing. All the back stories that you shared were very interesting. It was clean, architecturally beautiful, people friendly and inexpensive. I do love Adam’s whiskey face but tremble with fear every time I see Rich walking down stairs 😱 , luckily it seemed to be mostly uphill this n time. The story of the churches and the mosque working together and also celebrating together is a beautiful thing especially today. Carp doesn’t enjoy a food reputation in the US, so I also would pass on carp. I would definitely put Shkoder on my list. Wonderful video!
      🤗❤️ Kathy

    39. @janeabbotts on

      Another very interesting and informative video. Living in a young country it is always interesting to see the architecture of much older countries and learn something of the history. Thank you, cheers.

    40. @ME-gp7wc on

      Shkoder was one of the most important Venetian controlled cities on the eastern Adriatic coast. Not only was the city’s relationship with Venice centuries long; it was also the site of some of the most decisive conflicts between the Ottomans and the Venetians. Albanian were the largest non-Venetian group in Venice, and Albanian fighters “stradioti” made up most of the Venetian army
      Also, ‘Balkans’ is a terrible geopolitical term. You can just say Albania…

    42. @tranformbites on

      Welcome to our gem city: Shkodër. The place is called both ways due to grammar (unlike in English where the city names don't change). It's like saying London (Shkodër), and The London (Shkodra). Defined vs undefined. For ex. Shkodra is beautiful (who, Shkodra). The city is called Shkodër (What, Shkoder). Also for Pasta (non Albanian btw, our local main dish is fish), you should go to "Pasta e Vino" or "Pasta te Zenga" for homemade pasta . The hole like in the castle actually takes you to the other side of the hill out of the castle. You should check it out as it has inner stairs 🙂 Hidden security paths we don't want everyone to know :p And yes, Fabio and Xhilda (Vibez's brother and sister staff) are a true representation of Shkodra's kindness. Glad you enjoyed it!

    43. @QuietBroadAbroad on

      Hey guys! Nice to discover you- will share this video on my channel as your coverage of Shkodra was excellent! It's catching the eye of many American's at this point along with Durres, Sarande, and Vlore!

    44. @RoyalGuthington on

      Outstanding video, fellas ! Isn't it remarkable the difference between the two cities ? Have been exploring the south on group hikes since December, and it just keeps getting better and better. I imagine that Gjirokaster and Saranda will be on your next itinerary, absolutely must visits. However, avoid the months of June and September if possible 😉 Really looking forward to your Montenegro video.

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