FICO HOUSE

This house (Shtëpia e Ficove) distinguishes itself from the fortress-houses of Gjirokastra by its beautiful yellow facade and its classical Ottoman architecture. Dating from the end of the 18th century and remodeled in 1902, it belongs to the last representative of the Fico family, whose forebears distinguished themselves in the Ottoman and Albanian diplomatic corps. Rauf Fico (1881-1944) was even briefly Minister of Foreign Affairs of King Zog in 1929-1930. It is in reference to this past that the neighboring guesthouse bears the English name of The Home of Diplomacy.