"Would anyone here like to sing?"Our guide,Melisa,pauses and smiles as she surveys the group."No?"
This would be the ideal place to flex some musical muscle. The venue is an open-air theatre,built almost 2500 years ago under the guidance and creative wisdom of the ancient Greeks,later renovated and extended by members of the Roman Empire,used later still by the Byzantines and Venetians,and these days given life again during regular performances by modern-day Albanians.
It's a classic ruin in a gorgeous venue surrounded by wooded hills and wildflowers,a steep semi-circle of stone steps facing a stage. The acoustics here are incredible. Speak softly from the middle of the floor and it's audible on the highest steps. Sing loudly,you think,and the whole world would be filled with music.
Today,however,no one takes Melisa up on the offer. We're on a shore excursion from our cruise aboard the Emerald Azzurra,a new superyacht that is making its way from Athens up to Dubrovnik on a seven-night itinerary,and even on a cruise with only 100 passengers,we don't know each other well enough just yet to break into song.
Yesterday we were moored on the island of Corfu;this morning we made the short crossing to Sarande,on the Albanian Riviera,and travelled by bus to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site of Butrint.
This location is incredible,both for its historic importance and the fact so few people tend to know it even exists. Albania was closed to tourists up until the early 1990s,and even now the industry is in its infancy when compared with close neighbours such as Greece,Montenegro and Croatia.
This country has a huge amount to offer,however,from gorgeous coastline,to an alpine interior,to these multi-faceted heritage sites.