From the Albanian dictionary:
"Loud noise, bustle, produced by a group of people while conversing and laughing in joy." -
"Doing gallatë."

GALLATË

And exactly from the meaning of this word that Walk Albania begins its journey, with a spirit of conviviality and joy to share with the rest of the world.

The small village of Gallatë is located in northern Albania, about 60 km from the capital Tirana. Nestled in a valley between two mountains, the first ones that rise from the plain towards the east to dominate the landscape.

It offers a perfect blend of culture, history, tradition, nature and simplicity. One of the first Albanian schools was founded here, where language and grammar were teached during Ottoman rule. An old mill is another sadly abandoned attraction, dating back to the early Middle Ages, and was used by the national hero George Castriota a.k.a. Scanderbeg (click to read more) to support his army engaged against the Ottoman invasion.

The main advantage of this village is its location, which, although mountainous, allows easy access to countless cities and important places in the centre-north of the country. To reach Tirana, for example, it takes only 50 minutes by car. The sea is not far away either; the nearest beach is 33 km away, about 30 minutes by car.

Gallatë offers many trekking routes of all levels. You can walk around the village with minimal elevation gain or, for those who like a challenge, you can venture up to the Shkopet Bridge, a 15-kilometre route with about 1,000 metres of elevation gain climbing Trodhën Mountain, the natural guardian of the village.

With horseback riding excursions, it is possible to enjoy the surrounding landscape by visiting important national archaeological sites as well as naturalistic places surrounded by greenery.

The houses are large and have many rooms; there are lots of shared spaces to meet and have conversations with other travellers and also private spaces to enjoy your time as you wish. The inhabitants are ready to meet the world and make the country's reality known.

A holiday with us, staying in Gallatë, means giving life to this exciting project that aims to reach many more villages across the country.

A short description of the village

Taking the only road available to reach it, one arrives at the 'centre' where there is a bricked church built in recent times with the historic wooden one next to it, now used only as a shelter. A few steps away is the only remaining economic activity, a small bar where you can buy essential goods, enjoy a coffee and play dominoes game. The second bar, now closed, is a gem that we would like to get back up and running soon: a small veranda covered by a walnut tree allows one to have a pleasant break with the sound of the small river running alongside in the background.

Moving on, houses inhabited by the few families still living there begin to appear on the sides of the road; Gallatë now has about 30 inhabitants. Each group of families lives in a different part of the village.

The road then branches off in two directions, proceeding along the main road to the primary school and the remote later villages of Vinjoll and Gernac, while the other direction leads towards Trodhën Mountain.
In the last one direction, at an altitude of about 600 metres, one can admire a very fertile mountainous area once exploited for agriculture and livestock breeding. Only a few people still engage in these activities, mostly to support their families. On a small hilltop is the church dedicated to Shën Prena (Saint Venerable) next to which stand the ruins of one of the first Albanian schools dating from 1632.

The special feature of this place is the day of Shën Prena, 25 July. The inhabitants of Gallatë, of Christian faith, and those of the neighbouring village of Vinjoll, of Muslim faith, come together for the great event, which is celebrated and reported several times on national TV.

Come join the adventure with us

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Celebration of Shën Prena reported by ABC News Albania

AROUND AND OVER GALLATË

Around Gallatë there is a world to discover, here are some points of interest that you can visit by walking, on horseback or on an excursion. Click where you see underlined to display them on the map.