Butrint

Butrint, ancient Buthrotum, lies in south-west Albania, 20km south of the modern port of Saranda. The ancient site occupies a bluff of land protruding into the Vivari channel, a stretch of water which today connects the Straits of Corfu, 4 km west of Butrint, to the inland salt-water Lake Butrint. South of the channel lies a flat reclaimed plain, today drained by dykes, which effectively separates it from the range of mountains that run along Albania's southern frontier with Greece. It was probably settled in the 8th century BC by Corfiot traders; this was almost certainly the town associated with the legend of Aeneas, and today, of all the great classical sites of the Mediterranean, it is the least known, the least frequented and the least spoilt. This book provides a comprehensive history of the region, looking closely at its monuments, and showing information on local accommodation and transportation services.