They are not tourists but citizens of Durres, for almost a year now. 

Alfio and Pinuccia have decided to enjoy their retirement years in Albania.

“By chance, we saw a video of Albania on youtube, we came and visited it and we liked it and decided to buy a house in Durres, returning to our home” – they say.

They did not feel safe in Italy, as the number of immigrants has increased considerably.

This was the main reason they made the decision to leave Italy.

“It’s like in every other country in the world, there are crimes here, but less than in Italy. In Italy, a girl cannot walk on the street alone, especially in the late hours. While here we see young women moving around and nobody bothers them. Italian couples, retire in Italy. But if we compare the prices here, for them everything is 60% cheaper than in their country. I get about 3600 euro pension in Italy, not including taxes. While I receive about 1500 euros per month. Here, with only my pension, we can make a very good living, since everything is cheaper with this amount.”

Alfio and Pinuccia are not the only Italians in Durres. They tell us that they have many friends from their country.

“In Durrës there are more Italians than Albanians. There are many of us here. We have heard that there is a lot of Italy in Tirana. It’s a quiet place to live here, so retirees like us prefer it,” they say.

Returning to Italy is not part of their plans. “We will return to Italy, but as tourists. We are Albanians now” – they said, proudly.

There are more than 300 Italians who have chosen to live in Durres.