Tucked away in a little visited corner of Europe lie Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia, three charming and delightful countries that few people know much about. For years Albania was a closed society, ruled by the iron fist of Communism, but since the end of the Cold War it has been showing curious travelers its many charms, while as Europe’s newest nation, Kosovo is best known for its terrible war in the last years of the 20th century – not the best image for outsiders to have of it. The location of these countries between some of Europe’s most important empires has left them well endowed with a wealth of attractions from the Illyrian (Albanian ancestors), Greek, Roman and Ottoman eras. The region is home to a wealth of old Turkish architecture which sits side by side with elaborately decorated Orthodox churches and from more recent times the civic buildings of Communist Yugoslavia, as well as impressive Roman ruins and well preserved historic towns.