Petrelë is a village and a former municipality 15 km south of Tirana, in central Albania. It is part of Tirana County. It is known for its castle and history. In ancient times Petrelë was known as Petralba, which translated from Greek means ‘the stone’ of ‘alba’, therefore “The stone of Albanians. It is called such because the town and its castle are built on a huge stone on top of a small mountain. Halfway up the hill on which Petrela is situated are the remains of defensive walls which comprise terracing operations on the S, E, and W sides; above each section is a level area.

The tower in the center was built in the 5th century AD, although most of the remainder is Byzantine dating from between the 11th and 14th centuries. The castle was used mostly to watch for Ottoman troops marching towards inner Albania. In Ottoman times, the castle was the house of Scanderbeg‘s sister (Mamica Kastrioti). The town and castle were also very dear to Scanderbeg and he used to take time off to come and rest in the area.

The castle has views of the Erzen valley, the hills, olive groves, and surrounding mountains.

Today Petrela is a very nice village and a touristic hotspot very closed to Tirana. Petrela Trail Running  is exclusively designed to offer participants a combination of sports, history and adventure with the vibrant life of Tirana city.