Euronews Albania has traveled to Mreg area, located in the Kelmendi mountains at an altitude of over 1,000 meters.

This village is not very well known to the locals because during the communist period it was the closest crossing point for those who wanted to escape from the regime.

After leaving the driveway just outside of Selca, the sign shows the path that leads to the village of Mreg. A mountain road with a not too high degree of difficulty that can be traversed by almost everyone. From the starting point to the destination, the trip takes about 2 hours, while you don’t feel tired at all, since along all the paths you are surrounded by the freshness of the mountains and the fascinating views of the valley.

Very few families have remained in Mreg, while only in the last 2-3 years has this area begun to welcome tourists.

Pjeter Tinaj, the father of 5 girls, refuses to leave this country.

“I am nowhere more satisfied than here,” he says.

The road is tiring as Pjetri welcomes us to his apartment. Fërlik has a tradition that the entire area of ​​Këlmendi inherits.

“We make the fire, we put it on a spit and salt it and we continue like this for 4-5 hours that it should be cooked,” said Tinaj.

At dinner, clinking glasses with a full table is a tradition that is respected in the Highlands.

Adelina has decided to return and invest in the area, not leaving. With the help of some donations, she has built some camping tents, giving another comfort to this area.

“Given that we ourselves have experienced emigration in the family, it does not seem like the simplest and best thing to me. I find it quite difficult. How about starting it somewhere else from scratch, why don’t we try to start it in our country. And I believe we will succeed,” said the student.

Breakfast is magical at Mreg. The view is incredible as you enjoy your morning in this picturesque landscape.

Once this place was forbidden. Pjetri tells us that communism was a real torture for his family, which suffered 53 years in prison and dozens more in exile.

This area used to be very populated, says Pjetri, but now immigration has crushed it.

This area with a lot of tourist potential has a safe future as other young people are also trying to build guesthouses with their savings to develop the land of their ancestors again.