Destination of the week: Albania

Next Friday is National Day in Europe's strangest state. Albania was the last refuge in Europe of Stalinism, but has now energetically embraced capitalism with reconstruction at a furious rate; if you seek retro-communism, though, some prematurely aged post-war relics continue to function as hotels, equipped with extravagant staircases and inadequate plumbing.

The capital, Tirana (above), is lively, if baffling. In addition, you should visit Durres, a port steeped in history. Under the Romans it marked the start of the Via Egnatia, which stretched across the Balkans to Constantinople. The second-century Roman amphitheatre has gone to seed, and is sinking beneath a tangle of weeds; cattle now graze where gladiators once battled. And the splendid beach is no longer off-limits to Albanians (the communist government wanted to stop them being corrupted by foreign tourists), but is still uncrowded.

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/something-to-declare-shrinking-transatlantic-choice-albania-uk-hotel-bargains-1029215.html