Metsovo
The town of Metsovo stands at Greece's highest mountain pass, between Ioannina and the plains of Thessaly, and has historic mansions and a distinctive cuisine.
Metsovo
To travel from the plains of Thessaly in Central Greece into the region of Epirus in Western Greece involves a drive over the highest road pass in the country, which is 5,599 feet (1,707 m) high and often closed in winter. Nearby is the lovely mountain town of Metsovo, full of character and atmosphere, reflecting the independent spirit of the tough people who live high in these mountains. Some are settled Vlach nomads, although a few hill dwellers still retain the old nomadic lifestyle.
Metsovo is very much on the tourist trail as it's a ski
resort in the winter and popular with hikers in the summer, though it has still
lost none of its charm. It has a permanent population of only about 3,000
people, and the drive here, in whichever direction, is one of the best drives
in Greece though you can also get here by bus from Ioannina, Kalambaka (near
Meteora), or Trikala.
The Mountains Around Metsovo
Metsovo Cuisine
Metsovo has developed a distinctive and hearty cuisine including pungent sheep's cheeses, game, and robust red wine, and there are plenty of restaurants in town offering you a chance to sample these local specialties. Stores sell the local wine, honey, and cheeses, which make for great gifts or a good picnic lunch if you go walking. Other souvenirs reflect the cultivation of arts and crafts in the area, especially in embroidery, silverware, and in the carving of wooden shepherds' crooks.
Some older men still wear their traditional dark blue or black pleated costumes, not unlike the kilted outfit of the Greek Army, complete with their pom-pommed shoes.
Our Pick of the Guides to Greece
The Tositsa Mansion
Metsovo has flourished for many years, thanks to judicious tax benefits introduced during Ottoman rule because of the town's important position at the head of this vital mountain path. The Ottomans made it a small independent state. Merchants prospered under these conditions, and some of the grand mansions can still be seen. One of them, the Tositsa Mansion, was built in 1661 and now contains the Metsovo Folk Art Museum.
The Tositsa family was prominent in Metsovo and were generous benefactors, not only locally but all over Greece. The museum is presented as if the family was still living there and is spread across three floors, which are elegantly laid out with expensive furniture, rugs, silverware, jewellery, icons, and local folk costumes. Entry to the museum is by guided tour only, and they leave every 30 minutes.
The View from Metsovo
The Averoff Art Gallery
The Averoffs were another wealthy and influential local family with a magnificent vision for Metsovo. The Averoff Art Gallery also covers three floors and displays the family's collection of modern Greek art from the 19th and 20th centuries. There's also a good collection of photos of Metsovo over the years. It was the Averoff family which established the town's cheese-making industry.
Other Western Greece Pages
The Zagorian Villages and Vikos Gorge in the Pindus Mountains of northern Greece are popular for hiking, and for their scenic beauty and historical traditions.
The resort of Parga, in Epirus in Western Greece, is one of the most popular along the Ioanian coast, with several beaches and waterfront seafood tavernas.
Messolonghi (or Missolonghi) is a town in Western Greece which played a big role in the Greek War of Independence and is where the British poet Lord Byron died.
Ioannina is the capital of Epirus in Western Greece, located by Lake Pamvotis and noted for museums and galleries, a castle, and a tradition for silversmiths.
This walk in Ali Pasha's Ioannina also takes in the city's main museums, the citadel, and a ferry ride to the island of Nissi to visit the Ali Pasha Museum.
Western Greece includes holiday resorts like Parga, the Pindus Mountains and Zagorian villages, hiking in the Vikos Gorge, historical Ioannina, and Dodona.
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
- Click on the HTML link code below.
- Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment,
your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.
-
Visitors to the Kerameikos archaeological site in central Athens will soon have new access through an entrance-exit point being developed on Agion Asomaton Street, directly across from Dipylou Street.
Read More
-
A new section of the E65 motorway, often referred to as the “backbone road” of Central Greece, was opened to traffic in the second week of July, with 136 kilometers now operational. This road provides…
Read More
-
Iceland, Monaco, the UK, Greece, and Spain are Europe’s most expensive countries for short-term rentals, according to analytics experts AirDNA.
Read More
-
Greek seaplane company Hellenic Seaplanes on Friday laid the groundwork for some of the Greek islands that will welcome seaplanes and carried out its first flights between three islands of the Sporade…
Read More
-
The World’s Best Awards by Travel + Leisure recently ranked four Greek hotels among the best in the world and Europe, honoring them for their luxurious atmosphere and top-notch hospitality.
Read More
-
Santorini is now coping with the repercussions of overtourism generated by cruise ships and day-trippers from Crete and other adjacent islands.
Read More
-
Restaurants, tavernas, and grocery stores that highlight the local flavors of the Cyclades.
Read More
-
Greece Travel Secrets picks where to eat on Symi, down by the harbour or in the upper town, and whether you like fish, meat, vegetarian, traditional or modern.
Read More
-
Greece Travel Secrets chooses its top ten Athens restaurants with Acropolis views, perfect for dining by day or by night, including places with Michelin stars.
Read More
-
The former Hilton Athens is being transformed into a multi-faceted destination that aspires to forge exciting new connections between the Greek capital and the rest of the world.
Read More