TIRANA, Aug. 13 – Albania’s National Coastal Agency says that it is working with the Italy’s Venice University to turn the ancient Roman Via Egnatia that connected ports on the Adriatic to Byzantium into a tourist trail.
The agency’s director Auron Tare, says a two-week trip will be undertaken for this purpose in August.
“Every day, we will bring images and notes from the trip, hoping that very soon the Via Egnatia, which once connected Rome with Constantinople becomes a great opportunity for the development of rural tourism through culture, spiritual and religious trips, art, philosophy, theatre and gastronomy,” said Tare.
The Via Egnatia is an ancient roman road constructed in the second century BC. The road stretched from Durres, on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, through the Balkans, to Constantinople. It serves as a tangible reminder of the importance which the region that now constitutes the Western Balkans enjoyed for centuries. The route which extends through present day Albania, Macedonia and Greece into Turkey was the principal connection between Greece and Rome, the capital of the empire. With the rise of the Byzantine Empire, it continued to serve as an important link between Eastern and Western Europe.
In Albania the Via Egnatia connected the important towns of Durres and Apollonia. The port of Durres was opposite Brindisi on the Western coast of the Adriatic, a stretch that could be navigated fairly easily by ship. From Brindisi there was a direct route to Rome on the famous Via Appia. The Via Egnatia was a direct extension of the main road to Rome, making the port of Durres a natural gateway to both Italy and the Balkans.
