Razëm, a village approximately 40 km from Shkodra, is renowned for its natural beauty, healthy climate, and unforgettable landscapes. In the middle of pines, oaks and lindens, a two floors stone villa comes into sight, the “Vila Alpini”.

Anjela Goraj, now in her twenties, reminisces about her childhood visits to Razëm with her parents from Koplik, a city just 20 km away. Her first memories picture her grandmother holding her hand while walking through the field nearby the forest. Today, she manages “Vila Alpini,” a successful family business, while studying business administration at “Luigj Gurakuqi” University in Shkodër. Years ago, her father purchased land in the village and constructed a small vacation home. Soon, family friends would ask to spend the weekends there time after time.

EU Delegation to Albania

“They were our first guests. Only later on, we were convinced that the villa had a future as a tourist guesthouse. But it needed a lot of improvements and investment”, recounts Anjela. With her father’s support, she started her searches toward transformation, focusing on architecture, interior designs, room decorations and other details that would make the difference, combining the design with the nature and bringing modern approaches to local products.       

Simultaneously, a professor at the University suggested her to apply at Rural You, an EU funded project aiming to empower rural youth to undertake entrepreneurial ventures. Anjela’s application succeeded in the second phase and the investment began. With the grant received, she furnished the guesthouse rooms and added new beds. She also invested in a dining place on the veranda, where the eye-catching view includes a forest of tall pines and snow-capped Alpine peaks.

“Vila Alpini”, deriving its name from the Alps, has now a completely new look, modern and traditional at the same time, as everything is renovated with great care and refined taste.

EU Delegation to Albania

"The biggest achievement of this project was developing myself. I have learned a lot during the process. I have changed my own concepts, my mindset and the way I see the present and the future. It has been a challenging experience that has grown me a lot personally and professionally”, says Anjela, who already has the guesthouse listed on international platforms, such as Booking.

As part of our Green Campaign, we made possible to a group of young people from Lezha to visit Vila Alpini and to witness first-hand the achievement of Anjela. Talking to young students from the professional School “Kolin Gjoka” in Lezha, her main advice is not to give up. “We have the chance to make villages fashionable again. Our creative ideas can push forward initiatives and promote nature, traditional food and several destinations. Nevertheless, is important to always prioritize customer satisfaction. Additionally, as a lot of our peers are leaving Albania, the people who work with us are invaluable, because it’s more and more difficult to find staff”, admits Anjela.

EU Delegation to Albania

When the guesthouse if full, each member of her family has a task to fulfil. Her mother cooks all kinds of jams and other dishes served for breakfast, while her younger brother, guides tourists on tours through the pathways of Razmë village or the three famous caves.

For Anjela, rural life means living in harmony with nature and the community. As her next step, Anjela is thinking about solar panels, because she wants to “reevaluate our connection with earth and raise awareness on the importance of environment protection”.

About RURAL YOU

Rural-You programme is an invitation to look at the rural world from the youth perspective: it aims to involve motivated rural young people to play an active role and contribute to rural development and decision-making processes; it enhances youth participation in the social, economic and political life of rural and remote communities of Northern Albania in the medium-term. Adopting a bottom-up approach, support to rural youth is applied to 3 levels and through 3 clusters of activities: AC1) Awareness, AC2) Activism, AC3) Network. The project supports rural youth in better understanding existing sector policies, opportunities and perspectives (AC1), mobilizing local resources for /sustainable growth of local economies (AC2), and promoting constructive dialogue among young people and with public authorities.