UNESCO World Heritage town with Ottoman-era houses, cobblestone streets, a castle, museums, and traditional bazaar. Very busy in summer, quieter early morning or late afternoon. The town is known locally for being the birthplace of revered Albanian writer, Ismail Kadare. Its more sinister claim to fame is as the site of Albania’s most notorious political prison and the birthplace of Enver Hoxha, the country’s one-time despotic leader.