Lukovë

Hillside village above small beaches on the Ionian coast

A coastal village north of Saranda with olive groves on terraced hillsides and small, quiet beaches below.

Lukovë is a coastal village on the Albanian Riviera, about 22 km from Saranda according to the National Tourism Agency. It was a municipality until the 2015 loc…Lukovë is a coastal village on the Albanian Riviera, about 22 km from Saranda according to the National Tourism Agency. It was a municipality until the 2015 local government reform and is now an administrative unit of Himarë Municipality, covering nine villages including Lukovë, Piqeras, Nivicë, Shënvasil and Borsh. The unit had 2,916 residents at the 2011 census.

The hillsides around the village are terraced and planted with olive groves, and the beaches below are small and quiet, surrounded by greenery. The Church of Saint Athanasius (Shën Thanasi) stands in the village centre, and the Church of Saint Paraskevi (Shën Premte) is built on a hill.

During the Ottoman period Lukovë, together with nearby Piqeras and Nivicë, belonged to the Himara area and held a special semi-autonomous status within that community. The name is thought to come from a Slavic word for a wet meadow, a meadow by a river or water flowing nearby.