Vila Art" in Drilon, the first villa built in the tourist village of Pogradec

2024-11-10 14:01:00, Qyteti im CNA

Vila Art" in Drilon, the first villa built in the tourist village of

"Vila Art" in Drilon is the first villa built in the tourist village of Pogradec, with a history closely related to the figure of Enver Hoxha. This building was specially created for the dictator Hoxha, who in the 1970s chose exactly Drilon and this villa to spend part of his day in the summer months.

In its architecture, designed by the best professionals of that time, it was possible for the apartment to function for one person, where, according to history, it was guarded by the guard with maximum security during the time that Enver Hoxha lived there. Today, this building has been named "Vila Art" while it carries a special history that all visitors are tempted to get to know.

This villa is located in the green of the park of Drilon, with a fantastic nature and landscape, with an extraordinary beauty where you can go boating, you can enjoy the clean and fresh air among the chirping of birds as well as capture beautiful moments via mobile phone photos.

The administrator of the villa, Enton Qirici, tells Cna TV the beginnings of this building, which even today carries the same values ??and architecture as in the years when Enver Hoxha lived in the summer season. Qirici emphasizes that the village of Drilon was specially created for this figure, where even today the interest of visitors remains high enough to see the environment and learn more about Enver Hoxha.

"The history of the Villa is interesting, because in those places that Enver Hoxha had chosen to stay, one of the places where he spent most of his summer vacations was Pogradeci, and in particular the villa that today is Vila Art. He spent the summer, July and August in the villa, where the villa itself was specially built for one person only.

Seeing the way it was built, the entrance and exit part, was chosen in Drilon as the most beautiful and most guarded part by the guard where there was maximum security, and where he spent his moments of peace. Driloni itself was made especially for Enver, because initially only this small villa was built, then two restaurants and bars were built, but the base was the villa.

This was a villa designed by the best architects of the time and the part we have preserved is 90% as it was in the 1970s, wood and stone, simple in construction but lovely inside, with history where part of large number of customers, they know how it has worked, but in recent years interest from foreigners has increased."

There are two reasons why Villa Art got this name. First, ART is the union of the initials of the three partners who brought this wonderful building back to "life" by turning it into a restaurant where the traditional and the modern intertwine.

The other reason is the desire of the three partners who wanted the various works of Pogradec painters and photographers to be displayed in this villa, in order to promote the values ??of these artists.

Anthony says that a series of exhibitions have been held in the villa, which have aroused high interest not only from Pogradec residents but also from visitors who find in Drilon a tourist attraction different from other villages.

"Vila Art" is a combination of the first three letters of my partners' names, we thought it was the best choice as we didn't want it to be like these commercial names but wanted to have a lot of stuff inside.

Even this piece of art that, in the good sense of the word, has an attachment not only as names but to be a small house for all the artists of Pogradec that we have, that in writings, paintings, have a place where you advertise their jobs.

So far we have succeeded. We have made many exhibitions with the painters of Pogradec, not only those with a name like Anastas Kostandini, or photographer Ardian Fezollari, but we have also started with the painters who are not heard much to give them the opportunity to reveal their work, to have a place where they feel at home. I think we've more or less succeeded."

Through this report, viewers can find a very special suggestion to spend a few days with their family and friends.

"Vila Art" is the best opportunity where you can enjoy the tranquility of the park, which is unique to Qiric and cannot be found anywhere else. Furthermore, in the summer period when the temperatures in the city are high, in Drilon you can find the fantastic climate suitable for enjoying the morning and afternoon.

Among other things, a strong reason and point of reference for visitors who choose Vila Art is precisely a "small museum", set in a corner of one of the rooms where you can enjoy a coffee or have lunch or dinner, with books. the work about the dictator Enver Hoxha, where those interested in history and this figure can get more information about his life.

"In Vila, people in the first row find the tranquility of the park, which is unique and you cannot find or enjoy it in any other park, I am talking about July and August, which are the temperatures like in Drilon, which do not go more than 26-27 degrees despite in Pogradec it reaches 32 degrees.

Plus then the historical part, which is a part that hits you and makes people see the story more, because the young people now have no idea how things worked. We have created a mini museum, with the dictator's works, we have made a corner where a large part of the people who come can find more information."

Traditional dishes are the key to the kitchen at Vila Art. A very special combination of the taste of traditional food of Pogradec with modern recipes, which make lunch or dinner varied and very tasty for customers. Koran is the king of the table, so much loved by everyone, cooked in different recipes starting from casseroles to recipes with different types of sauces. In addition to fish, at Vila Art customers can enjoy the recipes of meat products, which are accompanied by bottles of wine produced in Albania, with a very high quality. The administrator says that customers have been quite satisfied with the service of the staff and the traditional dishes of the area, while the most important thing is the hospitality offered by Pogradeci.

"Cooking in the villa we can find the part of the fish that is unique and we have our traditional. We are based on the traditional cuisine passing the phase for the part of foreign cooking, today it is more necessary to reveal the local cuisine. We have achieved a lot well, even though we have made a mix with spicy things, the basics are the Albanian ones.In the fish dishes, we have onion casserole, with homemade sauce, fillet with lemon sauce, koran crudo.

We also have types that depend on the wishes of the customers. Then there is the meat part, we use the meat of the country, making a special angle with the wine products, giving opportunities to the producers who bring them all. The customers who come in want to try the wines of the country, and we have got very high quality wines and we are proud of this part.

All people, even foreigners who understand wine, have been very satisfied. This is one of the reasons we try to collect all this, so that people feel good. Plus, the main thing is the hospitality that not only us, but all of Pogradec has, and they make sure that if you come to Pogradec once, you will come back again."

In the last two years, Driloni became one of the villages where the government invested in its transformation. An investment that according to Anthony was quite positive as the flow of tourists is extremely high. The trend in recent years in the development of tourism seems to have changed a lot, compared to the past years when visitors stopped in Drilon to have a coffee, while today they choose to stay longer.

"Driloni is presented this year, another Drilon, not the one we remember, because of the investment made by the government and it was something positive because the flow of people was extremely large. People have the desire not only for curiosity, but because they want to return. This year we saw their return and that economic stability began, increasing the number of customers, this puts us in other positions that the bar must function in a different way since the flow of people will be extremely large."

It seems that the cooperation between the cities that includes the southeast region is going well in creating tourist guides that help in the development of tourism and the promotion of the attractions that the southeast has. Domestic tourists make up the majority of visitors, while a high increase in the number of foreign tourists is also observed. The main focus of this cooperation between the cities is only to make the visitors feel at home, between comfort and tranquility.

"Most of them are local tourists that we also give due importance to, but foreign tourists have also started to come. If before some of them had just a Drilon crossing where they drank a coffee and left, the attitude now is longer. Tourism is now connecting in the district, where we have also collaborated with guides in Pogradec and Korçë, where we have made an arrangement where if they want to sleep in Korçë, they spend lunch with us in Pogradec and vice versa. Tourism is entering a field where we as a county must combine with each other, so that if people come here, we must make them feel good."

With notes of humor, Anthony puts Pogradec in the first place in terms of the history that this city has, comparing it with Korça, as two of the cities that have undergone a great tourist development in recent years. It seems that these two cities are in a "war" for tourists, but Pogradec has another stronger aspect, the fact that it is close to Ohrid.

Anthony says that they are on a good path, as they are waiting for many visitors who come from Ohrid and the countries of the region to create what is called "Versailles".

"In my opinion, if it is the beautiful expression that says "Korça is Little Paris", I say that "Pogradec is the place where the king stayed, it is like Versailles". Korça can be very beautiful, but Pogradec has its own Versailles. Pogradec absorbs tourists, especially since we have the Ohrid airport, where a large part of the guides have the problem of how to keep all the tourists and bring them here good luck."

The summer season is what gathers in Pogradec and its tourist villages a high number of visitors, who choose to stay there for vacation, enjoying the lake, the picturesque nature of Drilon, the fresh climate, the greenery, the fresh air of every which makes the stay cozy and comfortable. "Vila Art" is the ideal place where you can enjoy traditional cooking with the Koran and different types of fish, continuing with organic products, meat products and stopping at wine as the favorite drink that accompanies the customers' tables. Now that the winter season is approaching, at "Vila Art" you can stay in the pleasant environment of the restaurant, with the fireplace that stays lit at all times, to create the warm atmosphere and comfort that we find in our homes./ CNA