KORÇE – VOSKOPOJA

We continue Korca visits, exploring the historic heart of Korça, where cobbled streets host a lively bazaar with local crafts and vibrant cafes.

Continue to the Mirahori Mosque, a cultural gem dating back to the 15th century.

Next to Orthodox Cathedral of Christ Resurrection, admiring the grandeur as a symbol of religious significance.

A short transfer will take us to Voskopoja, also known as Moschopolis, or the “city of shepherds”, it was once the unofficial capital of the Vlachs, an often (but not exclusively) nomadic people who spoke a language similar to Romanian. In the mountains west of Korçë they built their own miniature Oxford, complete with an academy, printing presses and ornate churches. The town flourished for a century before being sacked by Ali Pasha, a warlord known as “the Muslim Bonaparte”, at the end of the 18th century, after which it sank into near obscurity.

Today, Voskopojë is a pleasant village in a small valley surrounded by fir-covered mountains. The press and academy are gone, but you can still see masterpieces by David Selenica and other Albanian icon painters in its many churches. We visit the Saint-Nicolas church, with colorful frescoes of saints inside.