Ruins of Butrint

The ancient Roman ruins of Butrint occupy a spit of land a short distance from the beach resort Saranda in southeast Albania. I took a day trip to visit the ruins, now a national park, because I wanted to see the mosaics on the floor of the 6th century Baptisary only to find that they are covered in order to protect them from people and the elements, exposed for viewing for short periods every few years or so. Too bad I missed it.

Butrint's history is interesting enough to make the visit worthwhile. According to classical mythology, the settlement was founded by refugees from Troy. It was named Buthrotum in honor of an ox that was sacrificed and wounded, struggled to the shore and died there, supposedly a good omen. In its early days there was a sanitorium where people came to take cures, sometimes leaving sacrifices or donations, sometimes in coin. Julius Caesar and Augustus founded a Roman colony on the site complete with temples, baths, an amphitheater and bridge that  extended across the channel. Over the centuries Butrint was occupied by Normans, Venetians and Ottomans to name a few. The settlement had its ups and downs and finally, after so many transitions, it became just another Roman ruin being excavated in a land where there are so many. It isn't as grand as those in Rome, Athens, Turkey, in fact it seems rather small but I found  the remains of this little civilization to be interesting and beautiful as well.

I left Gjirokastra on the earliest bus and was lucky enough not to have to deal with the crowds that were milling around the gate as I made my way out of the park. Tour buses, hawkers, beggars had all taken their places. As I waited for the bus back to Sarana, I watched the locals cross the water on a platform large enough for a couple of cars and standing room only as it was pulled across by a winch and cables to the other side. I was tempted to join them but my bus pulled up and I hopped on.