Baubles
It's not really our cup of tea, but the most common souvenirs in Albania are mugs adorned with the national flag and the portrait of Skanderbeg, sometimes even the jovial face of the sinister Enver Hoxha. The double-headed eagle, the national hero, the Communist dictator and the Catholic saint Mother Teresa are all found on a variety of objects: key rings, engravings, magnets and so on. Of course, it's all rather ugly. It's also a reminder that Albania remains a poor country and that its tourism industry is still underdeveloped. In the same kitsch vein, tourist stores sell ashtrays in the shape of bunkers. The finish leaves something to be desired, but at least it's the kind of souvenir you can only bring back from Albania.
Rugs and kilims
Expensive decorative objects, carpets are knotted and kilims are woven. Both are sold mainly in Gjirokastra and Kruja, the last stop for shopping near Tirana airport. Some are imported from Turkey, Iran or China. This is not to say that these are bad. But the salesman will often try to persuade you that they are Albanian carpets and kilims. In fact, there is still a small local production. But before you spend hundreds or thousands of euros, ask about the origin and year of manufacture. Give preference to carpets and kilims colored in natural shades and made by hand, as they are more resistant. Last but not least, the most important indicator of carpet quality is knot density. For average quality, count between 50 and 60 knots per square centimeter. Quality becomes really good at 150 knots per square centimeter. Similarly, for a kilim, the weave must be very dense.
Favourites
Unless you're an ethnologist or musicologist, a colorful costume, a traditional white headdress(qeleshe or pleats), a fustanelle (evzone-style men's skirt) or a mountain lute(qifteli) won't be much use to you once you're back from vacation. On the other hand, there are two types of typically Albanian handicrafts that are easy to transport, inexpensive and useful in everyday life. The first is the small, colorful woolen handbag with a slightly Peruvian look. It can be found in stalls across the country or in the store of the National Historical Museum in Tirana. Our other favorite, almost unknown to Albanians themselves, are the olive wood kitchen utensils. And yet, Albania has a wealth of expertise in this field. Paradoxically, the wood is imported from Italy, but it is processed locally, with all production going abroad. However, you can buy some at Tirana'sHotel Elysée, since the perfectly French-speaking proprietor also owns a highly reputed olive wood workshop.
Delicacies
On the country roadsides, many small farmers sell their produce. As they can't afford to buy fertilizers and pesticides, the fruit and vegetables they sell are usually organic, without the (expensive) label. Bees also benefit from the near-absence of pesticides in Albania. So it's not hard to find good-quality, varied and inexpensive local honey. Stalls selling honey are indicated by signs bearing the word mjaltë ("honey"). Sweet tooths will also appreciate a Balkan specialty inherited from the Byzantines: candied fruit in syrup. We particularly recommend gliko arre, or candied whole walnuts. The nuts, picked green when the shell has not yet formed, give the syrup a very delicate fragrance.
Alcohols
Albanians like to recommend to foreign visitors their industrial "cognac" named after the national hero, konjak Skënderbeu. That's nice, but we much prefer the artisanal spirits consumed by the locals, foremost among which is raki. Despite its name, this eau-de-vie has nothing in common with Cretan or Turkish rakis, which are aniseed-flavored. No, Albanian raki is the equivalent of Romanian rachiu and South Slav rakija. It is distilled from fruit, mainly grapes. The most famous production region is Skrapar, near Berat. But it can also be found in the mountains around Korça, Pogradec and Dibër, where it is made from plums (like the famous Serbian slivovitsa ), or on the Greek border, in Erseka and Leskovik, from plums. You'll have the chance to taste it if you meet the locals and visit traditional cafés. On the wine front, some very interesting things are starting to appear, such as reds made from kallmet, a grape variety indigenous to the Lezha region. Finally, as Albania is not part of the EU, the quantities of tobacco and alcohol you can bring back are severely restricted. Find out what is allowed in the countries you will be transiting through. For example, only two packs of cigarettes and one bottle of hard liquor purchased in Albania are tolerated per person at Greek customs.
Italian fashion
If you look hard enough, Albania also has an air of dolce vita. Not only is the pizza napoletana and pasta alragù often better here than on the other side of the Adriatic, but the land of the eagles has also become a giant workshop for Italian investors. Shkodra, for example, is home to the world's largest manufacturer of Venetian masks. Everywhere, small factories hum to the rhythm of the sewing machines ordered by Milanese designers. The most elegant garments are exported, but it's possible to have a suit made here for a bargain price. Many of Italy's finest boot shoes are also produced in Mussolini's former colony. Elegant, comfortable leather moccasins can easily be found at the entrances to towns, in inexpensive stalls such as those south of Fier. Take advantage: the design is Italian, but the price remains Albanian.
