Three decades after the great migrations of Albanians to Italy at the end of Ever Hoxha's regime, Albania is still a country of emigrants: the third largest diaspora in the world after Bosnia-Herzegovina and Guyana, with the dream of joining the European Union. Yet this summer it has become a holiday destination for so many Italians that a sort of 'counter-exodus' has been spoken of, showing that so much has changed in recent years.
But even in a developing country, just as Albania has shown itself to be, solidarity with the most fragile needs to be experienced. Thanks to Sant'Egidio's bond with this country, new generations of Europeans have also learned to love it. Therefore, about sixty Youth for Peace from Genoa and Pavia took the same route as many holidaymakers, heading for unusual destinations: Elbasan, Lezhë and Tirana, where they could meet psychiatric patients, children, people with disabilities, elderly and spend a summer of solidarity with them.
