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Book Chapter

The Mountain Village of Razëm

  • Antonio Laurìa
  • Valbona Flora
  • Kamela Guza

Part II of the book focusses on Razëm, a hamlet of the mountain village of Vrith, in the Municipality of Malësi e Madhe. Razëm lies within the Regional Natural Park of Shkrel and is considered the “gateway” to the Western Albanian Alps. The evocative landscape, the quality of the air and the proximity to Shkodër have transformed Razëm into a proper tourist resort. In the first chapters, the importance of the intangible heritage is stressed. The quality of the typical products and of the culinary tradition, the rhapsodic chants based on the Eposi i Kreshnikëve, the tradition of the customary law based on the Kanun code, the religious festivities and the xhubleta (as a most significant feature of local craftsmanship) are some of the issues addressed. In the following chapters, the multiple aspects of the tangible heritage are analysed. Here, the quality of the natural and pastoral landscape – characterised by alpine pastures and typical hut settlements –, together with the building tradition of the area, is highlighted. A special attention is dedicated to a complex of villas built by the rich bourgeoisie from Shkodër during the Twenties and Thirties, a unique phenomenon that deserves a proper in-depth study. For each of the aforementioned issues, the theoretical and historical analysis are closely bound to an evaluation of those features of the cultural heritage that could be enhanced to guarantee a sustainable tourism development of the area. Each chapter ends with a consistent set of specific intervention strategies. They are substantive tools for action aimed at public and private local actors.

  • Keywords:
  • Albania; Cultural Heritage,
  • Lesser-known cultural sites; Cultural Transfer,
  • Human Development,
  • Sustainable Development,
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Antonio Laurìa

University of Florence, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0001-7624-6726

Valbona Flora

University of Florence, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-0992-8580

Kamela Guza

University of Florence, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-5455-8558 

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  • Publication Year: 2020
  • Pages: 157-224

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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

The Mountain Village of Razëm

Authors

Antonio Laurìa, Valbona Flora, Kamela Guza

Language

English

DOI

10.36253/978-88-5518-175-4.02

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2020

Copyright Information

© 2020 2020

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Five Albanian Villages

Book Subtitle

Guidelines for a Sustainable Tourism Development through the Enhancement of the Cultural Heritage

Authors

Antonio Laurìa, Valbona Flora, Kamela Guza

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2020

Copyright Information

© 2020 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/978-88-5518-175-4

ISBN Print

978-88-5518-174-7

eISBN (pdf)

978-88-5518-175-4

eISBN (xml)

978-88-5518-176-1

Series Title

Studi e saggi

Series ISSN

2704-6478

Series E-ISSN

2704-5919

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