Bashtova Fortress

Bashtova is a rectangular fortress of the fifteenth century standing by itself on the flat plain near the mouth of the Shkumbin, built by Venice to protect a trading point on the river, later held by the Ottomans, and it survives as a complete circuit: walls around ninety by sixty metres, up to nine metres high, with round towers at three corners and a square one at the fourth, and an interior that is now open grass. It is unusual in Albania for being a lowland fortress on flat ground rather than a hilltop castle, and its isolation, with fields on every side and the coast a few kilometres west, gives it an odd presence. There is no ticket office and it is entered freely.

What to look for

• A complete rectangular circuit - walls up to nine metres with corner towers.
• A lowland fortress - built on flat ground rather than a hill.
• Open grass inside - the interior cleared and empty.
• Isolation on the plain - fields on every side and no settlement close.

When to go

April to October. One hour. It is open ground at all times and free. Mornings and evenings for light on the walls. The approach track can be muddy after rain.

Good to know

There is nothing inside the walls and no interpretation. The approach is a farm track. There are no facilities. It is a twenty-minute stop rather than a destination, and it is off the main routes.

Nearby

Rrogozhine is east; the coast and Divjaka lie west and south.