Porto Palermo

Porto Palermo is a deep, almost enclosed bay on the Albanian Riviera, roughly halfway between Himarë and Sarandë. A small peninsula juts out into the middle of the bay, joined to the mainland only by a thin sandbar; on its tip stands one of the most striking fortresses in southern Albania. The water in the bay is exceptionally clear, and the surrounding mountains drop almost vertically into it.

The Castle

Porto Palermo Castle is a triangular fortress with round bastions at each corner, built,by tradition, in 1804 for Ali Pasha of Tepelena, the powerful Ottoman governor who ruled most of what is now southern Albania and northern Greece as a near-independent fiefdom. The exact origins are debated: the design resembles the Venetian Triangular Castle at Butrint, and some historians argue an older Venetian fortress stood on the site first. What is certain is that Ali Pasha used and reinforced it, and that an inscription once recorded the involvement of French military engineers in its construction. The interior is a maze of dim vaulted roomsm including a former prisonm leading up to a wide, sun-bleached terrace with views in every direction.

The Submarine Base

At the northern end of the bay, half-hidden in the rock, is one of the strangest survivals of Albania's Cold War: a 600-metre tunnel cut into the mountain to shelter four Soviet-era Whiskey-class submarines. The project began in the late 1960s with Chinese assistance, but when China withdrew, Albania completed it alone at enormous cost. The base remains the property of the Albanian Navy and is closed to visitors, but the entrance, a massive concrete-framed mouth in the cliff face, is clearly visible from the road and from the castle's upper terrace.

The Bay and the Beach

A small pebble beach lies beside the castle on the southern side of the isthmus, with exceptionally clear water and a couple of seasonal restaurants. A larger and quieter beachm Llaman, sometimes called Heart Beach for its shapem is a short drive further south. The bay itself is a recognised protected landscape, with sea grass meadows, marine farms in its southern half, and water clear enough for excellent snorkelling.

Getting there

Porto Palermo sits directly on the SH8 coastal highway, about 8 kilometres south of Himarë and 45 kilometres north of Sarandë. The bay is signposted and well-served by the buses that run the coast road. The castle is reached by a short walk along the isthmus from the parking area.