Porto Palermo

Porto Palermo, a small peninsula located in the south of the Albanian coast, exactly between Himara and Saranda, was named by the Italian soldiers who were in Albania during the Second World War. It boasts an impressive eighteenth-century castle, built by Ali Pasha as a strategic defensive and offensive point against the Turkish attacks and the Greek irruptions.

Porto Palermo is a military port officially under the responsibility and use of the Ministry of Defense.

At the northern end of the bay there is a tunnel used as submarine bunker until 1991. Limited access to the area due to military control has allowed the marine and coastal biodiversity throughout the area to remain unchanged.

In Albania, tourism represents a booming economic sector. The enhancement of Porto Palermo bay has been realized paying great attention to the conservation of nature and the landscape and to the development of eco-tourism activities. This has allowed, in addition to a significant economic advantage, also the consequent improvement in the quality of life for residents.