Durrës · Old City · Albania

Durrës Amphitheatre

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easy

8/10

best: morning

archaeological, surreal, historic

A local would say...

Families live in the stage of a 2,000-year-old amphitheatre — an accidental archaeological preservation.

Built in the early 2nd century AD on the hillside inside the city walls, this Roman amphitheatre could seat 15,000 to 20,000 spectators and is one of the largest in the Balkans. Rediscovered in 1966, it still has a Byzantine chapel with beautiful mosaics preserved inside. The surreal sight of inhabited houses built into the ancient stage brings home how seamlessly Albania's layers of history coexist.