Dardha

Dardha sits at about 1,300 metres in the Morava mountains south of Korca, a village of stone houses with slate roofs on a steep slope, with cobbled lanes, a church, springs and beech forest running up behind it. It was prosperous in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from emigration and trade, which is why the houses are substantial, and it has become a weekend destination from Korca, with guesthouses in restored buildings, restaurants serving the mountain food of the region and a small ski slope used in winter. The walking in the beech forest above is good and the air is a marked change from the plain. Snow lies for much of the winter and the road can be difficult.

History

The village was founded after Skanderbeg's death by Orthodox Albanians who fled into the mountains to escape the Ottoman administration, and unlike the villages of the Gramos mountains it came through Ottoman rule without serious destruction. A Greek school opened in 1810, more Greek schools followed early in the 20th century, and the first Albanian school opened in 1917, started by Leonidha Çika with 20 pupils and later funded by Vatra. Heavy emigration took many families to the United States and Romania, where they formed the first Albanian communities, emigrants from Dardhë such as Sotir Peçi helped to found the Albanian-American federation Vatra, and the village has been a ski area since the 1920s (Wikipedia, Dardhë).

The main sights

• Stone houses with slate roofs - the substantial village building.
• Cobbled lanes on a slope - the layout up the hillside.
• Beech forest above - walking routes into the Morava range.
• A small winter ski slope - the village's cold-season use.

When to go

May to October for walking, December to February for snow. Half a day, or overnight in a guesthouse. Weekends bring Korca visitors and the restaurants fill. The road up is winding.

Practical notes

It is small and half a day covers it. Weekend crowds fill the few restaurants. The ski slope is very small with basic facilities. Winter road access can be difficult. Prices are high for Albania.

Nearby

Korca is north; Voskopoja lies north-west in the same hills.

Key facts