Ioannina- Zagorochoria

Ioannina, one of the most picturesque cities in Greece, is located in Epirus. Its long history starts from the late Byzantine period and reaches to the present day. However, the darkest part of its history is when the city passes into the hands of the Turkish conquerors, where its decline took place. Since the 17th century, the city's fate has changed. Its commercial development, together with the creation of schools that promote Greek letters and scholars influenced by the European Enlightenment, opens a new spiritual horizon that is maintained to this day and the city of Ioannina is transformed into a cultural and cultural space.
Today, the city’s traditional buildings and houses, its museums, the Castle and lake Pamvotida, make Ioannina both a winter and a summer destination.

Zagorochoria of Epirus is a complex of 46 villages (traditional settlements), built amphitheatrically in the area of Zagori. Some of the most famous are Vitsa, Vikos, the small and large Papigo which are located on the border of Vikos-Aoos National Park. The natural beauties of the landscapes, the springs, the hikers routes, the old churches and the gorge of Vikos, await the visitors to unfold this wonderful natural landscape that is dominated by stone and wood.

Some of the popular dishes of Epirus cuisine include either mutton or goat meat. However, due to the wild boar hunting being a common practice in the area, wild boar and hare stew are widely used on the local menus. Because of its lake, frog legs and eels are especially popular among the visitors. However, the main attraction of the local cuisine widely known among the Greeks are the famous and traditional homemade pies. The most traditional homemade pies one can enjoy are green leaves pie, vegetable pie, dough pie, nettle pie, etc. The local cheeses are also position within the PDO. Another traditional characteristic of the local cuisine are the confectionery syrups used in the baklava, the local sweet called saragli, the walnut pie and the Metsovite flutes. Known for its excellent varieties of wine and tsipouro production around the mountainous area of Zitsa. The summer festivals accompanied by the traditional clarinet sound are the Epirus Region characteristic music and entertainment.