Round tower
A red wooden room.
ShkelzenRexha — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Helmut Kienzle — CC BY 4.0 · Helmut Kienzle — CC BY 4.0
Petrelë Castle stands on a rocky hill above the village of Petrelë in central Albania, 329 metres above sea level and about 9 km south of Tirana in a straight line. It is one of the most visited spots close to the capital. The castle's history goes back to the 6th century, when the Byzantine emperor Justinian I built it, though the present structure dates from the 15th century. It was part of a signalling system with Krujë Castle, the castles passing messages to each other by lighting fires. The castle is triangular, with two observation towers; the most striking is a round stone tower topped by a projecting red wooden room. Inside the walls a restaurant occupies a stone and timber building on the rock, wrapped in trees and plants. From the top the view opens wide over the Erzen valley, the hills, olive groves and the surrounding mountains. Visitors climb from the village on stone steps and a short path, then walk around the walls and towers and sit at the restaurant to take in the view. Being so close to Tirana, it makes an easy half-day trip, and sunset is one of its best moments.
A red wooden room.
The Erzen valley.
Inside the walls.
Petrelë village, Tirana County, Albania
Up stone steps from the village.
Sunset.