A quiet day through Albania’s backlands: wild horses, unfazed cows, and resting souls with a view over their earthly paradise.

On the R427 near Bileća, the road ends—and China begins. Explosions, silos, Mandarin banners, and prefab dorms mark a deeper story: Beijing’s silent grip on the Balkans through debt, concrete, and control.

A blocked road near Stolac led to one of the trip’s best moments: a peaceful lunch by a centuries-old wool fulling mill on the Bregava River, surrounded by ruins, trees, and total calm.

A visit to an authentic fisher house in Valle Canal Novo becomes a vivid time machine—unveiling centuries of lagoon life, hard work, and survival etched in clay and reed.

A spontaneous stop in Marano Lagunare leads to a peaceful overnight spot, an encounter with traditional fish farming, and a walk through the pristine wetlands of the Valle Canal Novo nature reserve—home to elegant flamingos and quiet ecological wonders.

Behind Caorle’s iconic round bell tower lies a treasure trove of underwater wonders—told not by waves, but through the lens of a local diver who turned marine biology into visual poetry.

A windswept detour to Caorle’s old sea chapel—part pilgrimage, part construction site, part quiet encounter.

A surprise turn in Caorle opens onto streets that don’t whisper but shout in color—rooted in history, yet defiantly alive.