Folk In Lekuresi Castle & Albanian Winery

OVERVIEW

Watch a folkloric performance at a 16th-century castle before traveling inland to a winery known for its traditional raki. Perched on a hilltop that overlooks Sarande, Lekuresi Castle will be an inspiring setting for the performance. After settling into your seat, you will be in for a treat of lively Albanian dance and music that reflects the local history and culture. A tour of Isak Winery will add more texture to your understanding of local life as you will watch the step-by-step production of raki, the most popular alcoholic beverage in Albania. It can be produced from most any fermented fruit, including plums, pears, grapes and wild Cornelian cherries. As you will discover during a tasting, raki is anise-flavored, somewhat like ouzo. Back in Sarande, you will explore the ruins of a 6th-century synagogue complex that was eventually converted into a church. Many of the excavated buildings feature mosaic floors adorned with traditional Jewish symbols.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a folkloric dance and music performance in the 16th-castle Lekuresi Castle.
• Sample the traditional drink raki after watching how it is produced at Isak Winery.
• Meander through an excavated synagogue complex in downtown Sarande.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.