Rodoni Castle

Rodoni castle was built around 1450 by Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg on the tip of Cape Rodon as a coastal stronghold and a possible escape point to Italy, a stone enclosure with towers standing directly above the water, taken by the Ottomans and rebuilt by Venice before being abandoned. The sea has been taking it steadily: the cliff beneath the seaward walls has eroded and sections have collapsed into the water, so the enclosure is now open on that side with the wall ending abruptly at a drop. It stands alone on a wooded headland with beaches on both sides and no development, reached by a rough road and a walk, and it is free and unstaffed with no ticket or interpretation.

What you actually see

• Walls ending at a cliff edge - the seaward side lost to erosion.
• Skanderbeg's coastal fort - the mid-fifteenth-century enclosure.
• A wooded undeveloped headland - pine and maquis around the site.
• Beaches on both sides - quiet shore either side of the cape.

When to go

April to October. Two hours including the walk. Late afternoon for light on the walls. The road in is rough and slow. Weekends bring visitors from Tirana and Durres.

Honest expectations

The final road is poor and ordinary cars struggle. Erosion makes the seaward walls genuinely dangerous; keep back from the edge. There is no interpretation and no facilities. Litter on the headland is a problem.

Nearby

Cape Rodon's beaches are either side; Durres lies south.