For a long time, Qeparo was an underappreciated place that I heard about from a Polish friend who has lived in Albania for over 12 years. Her first visit to this village took place about a decade ago, before then-ruling Edi Rama introduced his Rilindja (Renaissance) program. Back then, Qeparo was a small, forgotten village located almost at the end of the world - with just one small piece of beach and practically nothing else.