Illyricum Trail is a freshly mapped cultural & wine tourism route offering a unique experience of exploring vivid Roman heritage surrounded with beautiful landscapes.

Illyricum Trail is a journey that leads a traveller through representative archaeological sites from the Late Roman Empire, providing visitors with insight into how people lived, worked and entertained at the time. The Trail also offers side trips along beautiful landscapes, and opportunity to taste wines produced from autochthonous grape varieties and delicious local food, while exploring these hidden historical and natural wonders.

The Trail consists of nine mapped sites in Western Balkans, each of them easily accessible by various means of transport. In Albania, three amazing antique sites are: #Butrint (Saranda), #Apollonia (Fier) and #Dyrrachium (Durres); in Bosnia and Herzegovina there is marvellous #Mogorjelo villa rustica (Čapljina); in Montenegro two sites are: sturdy #Doclea (Podgorica) and colourful #Risinium (Kotor); while in North Macedonia sites: #Stobi (Gradsko), #Ohrid and #Heraclea Lyncestis (Bitola), each are telling an interesting story.

Illyricum is a geographical term that was used by the Romans in the late 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD to describe the new Balkan territory that they were conquering. It included the lands which extended from the western boundary of modern Greece to the Alps on the west and from the Danube River on the north to the Adriatic Sea. Two of the best known rulers of the Empire, Julius Caesar and the first Emperor Augustus are associated with the annexation of Illyricum.

Towards the end of the Empire, in the 4th century, Illyricum again gains currency as an administrative term, first in the reorganization of the provinces under the Emperor Diocletian and later as the Prefecture of Illyricum under the Emperor Constantine the Great. Because they were born in this area, usually to military families, Diocletian and Constantine along with some of their predecessors are known as “the Illyrian emperors”.

Explore these hidden treasures. Illyricum Trail is waiting for you.

The Illyricum Trail is operated by the

through a grant provided by theRegional Cooperation Council – RCC ‘s Tourism and Development Project, funded by the European Union.

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