Journey to Albania

Part Five[1]

Phototext by our correspondent Lamberti Sorrentino

Tirana, December

Tourism, Press, and Radio

Albania is a country that offers tourists all landscapes and varieties of a temperate climate: from the dry cold of the mountains to the humid warmth of the plains. The mountains have the same geological structure as the Apennines, resembling them in appearance as well. There is an abundance of game, unknown to any other region of Western Europe; partridges and woodcocks are overlooked by Albanian hunters, who focus their hunting efforts on wild boars, foxes, hares, wolves, chamois, and bears. Italian hunters, who now travel to Sardinia for a few rounds of shooting, will have the chance in Albania to exhaust their ammunition supplies and return with incredible catches; the distance is the same: from Bari to Durazzo, the steamer takes eight hours.

"Fashizmi" is printed every morning, thanks to the nighttime work of experienced and conscientious Albanian and Italian typesetters.

Five newspapers are published in Albania, one of which is a daily, "Fashizmi," issued in Tirana. The other newspapers are weekly: "Gioventù Fascista" in Scutari, "Camicia Nera" in Valona, "Il Littorio" in Koritza, and "7 Aprile" in Argirocastro. There are also several cultural publications, including "Leka," published in Scutari by Jesuit Father Valentini, attracting writers engaged in Albanian studies. Soon, a publishing house will be established in Tirana to republish much of Albania's dispersed cultural and literary heritage. A wall newspaper, "Notizie da Tirana," is also published, modeled after a format known in Italy, featuring essential information and lively illustrations. Radio Tirana broadcasts bulletins in Albanian, Greek, Romanian, and other Balkan languages, and an Italian language course has been initiated over the radio. Plans are underway to enhance Radio Tirana, equipping it to serve as the Empire's advanced broadcast antenna to the Balkan countries. Mare Nostrum The strategic importance of Albania is particularly evident from a maritime perspective. The four main ports—Medua, Durazzo, Valona, and Porto Edda[2]—not to mention numerous smaller anchorages, provide magnificent support points for vessels of any size, conveniently spaced at regular intervals from one another, and can be equipped as operational bases for substantial naval forces.

Durazzo was founded as a Greek colony in 627 BC by Corcyra and Corinth; it was initially named Epidamnos, which the Romans later changed to Dyrrachium. The colony quickly flourished due to its advantageous position, overseeing trade routes that extended from the Adriatic into the interior of Illyria and, through it, into the East—routes that led to the construction of the Via Egnatia in Roman times. Today, Durazzo is the site of our Naval Command in Albania.

Their function holds immense value in two respects: concerning the defensive issue of the Adriatic and the broader concerns of the Ionian Sea. In the Adriatic, the Albanian bases, in addition to securing undisputed control over the coastline, flank the eastern side of the Strait of Otranto and the southern part of the sea for about 150 miles, perfectly complementing the defensive role of the ports of Brindisi and Bari on the opposite Apulian coast. The operational scope of this crucial passage is thus entirely dominated by Italian and Albanian bases, giving the Adriatic Sea the final and definitive character of an Italian lake, ensuring complete maritime traffic freedom with Yugoslavia along with absolute security for our extensive coastline. With Albania’s unification with Italy, the Adriatic issue is definitively resolved; this fulfills an aspiration spanning over fifty years of national history and achieves one of the main goals for which Italy participated in the last war of conquest.

In 48 BCE, Durazzo was the scene of a fierce battle between Caesar and Pompey. The port is strategically located; its traffic flows in an organized and intense manner. The city is expanding rapidly, with villas and seaside colonies rising along the coast; during the summer, families from all over Albania come to Durazzo to enjoy the sea.

Regarding the Ionian, Porto Edda and the anchorage at Butrinto, located slightly further south near the Greek border, are of particular importance. The former dominates the northern entrance to the Corfu roadstead, while the latter is situated within it; thus, this advanced base—long exploited by the British fleet in the past war to exert its influence in the Adriatic—loses any military value and can be considered unusable by anyone not in friendly relations with Italy. Proportionally, the importance of Argostoli and other anchorages on the western Greek islands also diminishes, so it can be said without exaggeration that, with Albania’s unification, Italian strategic dominance now extends over the entire northern Ionian Sea, while its influence in the central Mediterranean proportionally increases.

Valona also has a port that handles significant traffic, particularly with Brindisi. Valona is the endpoint of the pipeline from the oil fields. In this photo, you can see the salt pans, the products of which are largely absorbed by the domestic market.

Copper

The significant pyrite deposits in northern Albania represent the country's primary mineral resource. These deposits, located at a considerable distance from inhabited areas and at an altitude of 2,500 meters, are connected by cableways to the facilities of the Italian Mining Company of Bulqis, based in Durazzo. The company, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and efficient facilities, produces more than 40,000 kilograms of copper. The company can operate at full capacity, producing at an annual rate of 200,000 tons, as the market absorbs all production. Albanian copper is of excellent quality, and it is not uncommon to see it exported even to England. The processing of the ore, also facilitated by Italian technicians, proceeds with order and regularity, and the deposits are still well exploited. The Company is pleased with its collaboration with Albania.

In the mines of Kupricu, over one and a half kilometers of tunnel has been excavated to set up a precise mining facility where Albanian miners work with the assistance of Italian technicians who oversee their work, equipped with masks. They specialize under the guidance of Italian technicians who closely supervise their efforts.

Coal

With the assistance of A.C.A.I., which has almost completed the sampling, study, and prospecting work in the extensive area of Krabba (covering areas near Tirana, Ubaràn, Lushjèt, and Pescopia), Albania’s coal potential is being maximized, with some significant findings in this sector. There are deposits of lignite in various places, often xylite lignite, brown in color and sometimes rich in ash (up to 30%). The lignites of Tepelen are also significant, contained in strongly folded Miocene formations; those in the Koriza district, near Lake Malik, are from the Oligocene. More recent, Mio-Pliocene deposits, easier to exploit, are found in the Tirana region, interspersed with layers of sands and clays. Finally, lignites from Dangëlli and Curvelesh are notable in southern Albania. Some mines are still exploited primitively. The photos show heaps of ore being loaded onto trucks, while workers have lunch outside the mine. Additionally, there are reports of gold associated with pyrite from the Koriza district and gold associated with magnetite around Albasan; tin and nickel are also found near Koriza, along with manganese. Arsenic, once extracted and shipped under Ottoman rule, is present in Komani, the Drin, Shak, and elsewhere.

The traveler driving along the Tirana-Koriza road will be surprised at one point by the sight of large heaps of coal; around the piles are rows of trucks waiting to load the raw ore.

Iron and Chromium

The most important mineral deposits identified through surveys and sampling that Albania was able to carry out with Italy's assistance are those of iron and chromium. Notable iron deposits are primarily found in the Krabba area near Elbasan and at Pogradec in the Korabit region. Korabit consists almost entirely of eruptive rocks. The iron is of a pyrite type, with alumina-rich pockets. Other iron deposits are reported near Tirana. Albanian iron production remains modest (around 5,000 tons in 1936). Chromium also exists in significant quantities, mainly in the north near Kukës, around Pogradec, and close to other iron zones. A private cooperative that has agreed with Albania has started extraction and processing. Production facilities are currently being set up, and soon Albania may become self-sufficient in iron and its minerals.

The map here shows the main iron and chromium deposits in Albania, with their respective locations.

The End.

Click here to read Part Four

[1] Tempo – Roma 21 dicembre 1939

[2] Curator's Note: Porto Edda was the name given during the Italian occupation to the current port of Saranda, a coastal city in southern Albania facing the island of Corfu. The name was chosen in honor of Edda Mussolini, daughter of Benito Mussolini, as part of the fascist attempt to Italianize the occupied territories and consolidate their strategic influence in the Ionian Sea.