The south of Albania is a very peculiar region reflecting a mixed and turbulent history of Illyrian, Greek and Roman culture, Byzantine and Ottoman imperial dominance, all this in a wonderful setting of nature, with magnificent and unspoilt mountain ranges and appealing (no longer so unspoilt) coastal landscapes. This part of Albania has it all. The urban jewel by excellence is Berat, the 'city of a thousand windows', referring to the numerous traditional houses which seem to be stacked on one another as they nearly cover an entire slope; but there is also the city of Gjirokastër, its initial name of Argyrokastro betraying Greek, 'northern Epirote' origins. Like Gjirokastër, much of southern Albania is strongly related to Hellenic culture and ethnicity. Elderly people often converse in Greek while sipping their 'Turkish coffee' in front of a café in Himarë, … or should I say Chimaira. The archaeological sites of Apollonia, Antigonea and Foinike further underscore the ancient Hellenisation, just like the Orthodox monasteries of Zvërnec and Ardenica summarise well the Byzantine impact. But there is of course also the Ottoman element of mosques, cute humpback bridges over wildwater rivers and proud traditional house architecture, imported by the Ottomans after they had conquered these lands in the 15th century and stayed put until 1912. Since 1991, when I first visited Sarandë months after the regime change, this city has developed beyond recognition, just like the entire country. It looks like the place is quickly making up for the half century of time and generations lost in a totally sterile and paranoid version of Communism: urban centres are cracking out of their boundaries, summer beaches and trendy café terraces are packed with Albanian and foreign tourists, and … the roads in seaside cities and villages are congested to a point you would only expect in a city of millions. You cannot have it all. But, believe me, in this part of Albania, you can have a lot! Just come with us, digitally for now.