The narrow pass has always been strategic. The Roman victory over Philip V of Macedon in 198 BC, the Battle of the Aous, is often placed in the narrows between Tepelenë and Këlcyrë, and the town’s name comes from a medieval term for a fortified mountain pass. In January 1941 the capture of the Klisura Pass was one of the Greek army’s most important victories of the Greek–Italian War, and a Greek military cemetery lies within the pass.
Today the road follows the river through the gorge between steep, wooded slopes. About three kilometres from Këlcyrë, the shady plane trees of Rrapet e Grykës are a popular place to stop, and further along the valley the spring of Ujët e Zi pours its strikingly blue water into the Vjosa. Above the town stand the ruins of Këlcyrë Castle, which once guarded the pass; a short climb rewards you with views down the valley.
Whether you are heading to Përmet or simply enjoying the journey, the gorge is a highlight of the Vjosa valley.
