Berat in November: empty streets and warm bakeries
Most people see Berat in summer, when the Ottoman houses stacked up the hillside glow in the evening and every terrace is full. I went in November, when half the restaurants were closed and the castle was mine for an afternoon.
The Mangalem and Gorica quarters are small enough to cross in twenty minutes, so the pleasure is in walking them several times a day as the light changes. The bridge between them is the place to stand at dusk.
Practical notes: the bus from Tirana takes about two and a half hours and leaves from the regional terminal, not the centre. Guesthouses in Mangalem drop prices by a third in the off-season but turn the heating on reluctantly; ask before booking.
The bakery by the lower square opens at six. That is the whole recommendation.