In the administrative unit of Balldren , in Balldren i Ri village part of the municipality of Lezha is located the 800-year-old church of St. Friday. As a cultural monument it has many frescoes dating from the 13th century. One of the most particular frescoes is considered the “The Last Supper”. Created by Dalmatian painters 200 years before the masterpiece of the famous Leonardo da Vinci, this fresco has a high resemblance with that masterpiece. This church with rare frescoes is located in Balldren area which lies in the Western Lowland in the area of Nen-Shkodra. The geographical position is favorable and is combined with coastal, lowland and mountain climate. Reconstruction of the road Balldren-Bend,19.3 km has started weeks ago by the ADF on behalf of the Albanian government.

The project foresees a complete reconstruction of the axis and has direct impact for 10 thousand inhabitants in the administrative units of Torovica, Balldren, Malecajve, Shkembit te Kuq and Kolojaka. The development of infrastructure aims to ensure sustainable tourism development. The church mentioned above is just one of the many attractions of the area.

 

A study commissioned by the Albanian Development Fund with the support of the Council of Europe Development Bank and the European Investment Bank for the program "Improving Secondary and Local Roads" (ISLR) points out the improvement that brought the road infrastructure in rural areas. The agricultural production has increased and diversified by 30%, production costs has decreased by about 15% and employment has increased by about 13%. This investment offers a closer distance to Lezha and Shkodra. The collaboration between locals is expected to expand agrotourism patterns along Torovica area and surrounding villages and diversify products. This aims to bring locals and foreign tourists closer to the area's tradition and culinary.