Gjirokastër is called the city of stone, and it earns the name. The old town climbs steeply up the flank of the Mali i Gjerë mountain, a mass of tall grey houses with slate roofs, cobbled lanes and fortified towers, and above it all stands a huge fortress that dominates the Drino valley. The whole place is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It was the birthplace of the dictator Enver Hoxha and of the writer Ismail Kadare, and Kadare's novel Chronicle in Stone describes growing up here during the war, in a city of rooftops, cisterns and rumours.
The fortress is worth the climb. Inside are old cannon, a clock tower and a museum of weapons, and strangely, an American aircraft that the communist regime displayed as a trophy. There are also long tunnels dug during the Cold War. The Ottoman-style bazaar below is still alive, with craft shops and cafés, and the stone houses, with their thick walls and small windows, were built for families whose feuds and fortunes were real. The local food includes qifqi, rice balls with herbs, and byrek, the flaky pie you find all over Albania.
For riders, Gjirokastër is the natural meeting point of several roads. The highway runs through the Drino valley toward Tepelenë in the north and the Greek border to the south, while the road over the Muzine pass takes you toward the coast, climbing and descending through dry mountains with long views. The surface on the main road is good, while secondary roads are mixed. The streets of the old town are steep and cobbled, so park in the modern town and walk or take a taxi uphill if you are not comfortable on stone. Heat is strong in summer, so plan your walk for the morning or evening.
With over twenty thousand inhabitants, the town has plenty of fuel stations, banks and shops, and numerous cafés and restaurants. It is the right place to stay a night and let the evening light settle on the stone. Wander the bazaar, find a terrace, and watch the lights come on across the valley below.