Zagorohoria, Greece

The journey from Athens to Zagorohoria is a scenic five-hour drive. The Mediterranean landscape of scrubland and low-slung trees gives way to expanses of cotton fields, while hills carpeted with rich, green pine forests rise in the distance. At roadside stalls, fruit sellers court the business of passing drivers. “How do you know about Zagorohoria?” asks one stallholder as we choose a bunch of sweet grapes from his display.

Most travellers head to Greece for its sun-drenched shores and clear waters but in recent years an increasing number of visitors have started to venture further inland. About 80 per cent of Greece’s land is covered by mountains and many people are beginning to discover the country’s high- altitude expanses. The region of Zagorohoria (or Zagori) lies in the Pindus mountain range along the nation’s northwestern border with Albania. The area, with its 46 ancient villages, was recently added to Unesco’s World Heritage list as an “outstanding example of traditional human settlements”.

Zagorohoria is best reached via Ioannina, a vibrant university town. We park along the lakefront promenade, where rows of lively tavernas, cheese shops and cafés are filled with students sipping freddo espressos. Ioannina has a long history of silversmithing, with craftsmen having made intricate buckles, plates and jewellery in the city for more than 400 years. You can still find evidence of this tradition on Averof Street, where shops offer antique artefacts and contemporary takes on old designs. Jeweller Dimitris Zhnas has been making bracelets, necklaces and rings here for more than 30 years. “I also incorporate precious and semi-precious stones into my pieces,” he says.

Further into the city, bazaars overflow with trinkets and cowbells. On one corner we find Telis, a shop famed for its knives and farming tools. “My grandfather opened the shop in this exact location 90 years ago,” says owner Rania Pitenis, who runs the business with her husband, Evangelos Gkogko. “Evangelos makes the knives’ handles from Greek wood,” she says. “And the blades come from a carbon-steel stock first bought by my grandfather.”

Telis’s creations are prized in restaurants across Greece, from the Peloponnese to the Cyclades, though the workshop remains rooted in Ioannina’s rural heritage. Before the Second World War, Telis was well known for knives. But as others began to import them, Pitenis’s father’s focus shifted to sheep shears. “It is still a big part of our business,” says Pitenis. “Our spring production is dedicated to making tools for shepherds.” Just a five-minute walk from Telis is Select, a bakery that has been serving sweet and savoury pies since 1964. Visitors of all ages line up for freshly made bougatsa – a layered-phyllo pie filled with custard and dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar – and tyropita, a pastry made with feta.

As we head back to the car, one of Ioannina’s mosques comes into view. During Ottoman rule, the city was known as Europe’s Eastern gate. After an easy 40-minute drive, we reach Kato Pedina, our first stop in Zagorohoria. “The region enjoyed a degree of autonomy in the Ottoman period,” says hotelier Georgios Kountouris. “The villagers formed an agreement with the pasha, which allowed the area’s unique culture and traditions to flourish.” In 2010, Kountouris and his family relocated to Zagorohoria from Athens and turned their 300-year-old family home into a hotel named Apeiros Chora. It is a striking example of the region’s distinctive architecture, built entirely from stone with a grey-slate roof made to endure the region’s harsh winters. “It took five years to restore the structure to its original state,” says Kountouris. “We were very lucky to find local stone masons to work with.”

The fertile farms surrounding Kato Pedina produced much of Zagorohoria’s food during the 18th century, which brought wealth to the area. Schools, carpet-making workshops and embroidery studios thrived. But like many rural Greek villages, it experienced significant emigration after the Second World War. Villagers left for bigger cities in search of work, and mansions fell into ruin. “Traditional ventures such as winemaking, beekeeping and dairy production were no longer financially viable, so repurposing the original mansion into a hotel seemed as though it was the only path forward,” says Kountouris.

Tourism is now a vital contributor to Zagorohoria’s economy. People with ties to the region are slowly returning to help preserve its cultural, architectural and culinary heritage by opening new businesses. “This is the land of my ancestors,” says Vassilis Katsoupas, who left a career in the environmental field and his life in Canada to open Kanela & Garyfallo, a mushroom-focused restaurant in Vitsa, just 15 minutes from Kato Pedina. Portions are generous and sharing is advised. “You need to study mushrooms carefully; knowing how to distinguish between edible and poisonous species is just as important as knowing how to cook them,” says Katsoupas. When monocle visits, dishes include crunchy cabbage salad with pomegranate, apple and arbutus honey, and rich risotto with morels, porcini, trumpets and black truffles. “Fungi are so important to the environment here. The truffles are a local delicacy but most of them are exported,” he adds.

Back at Apeiros Chora, Kountouris pours us his amber-hued aged tsipouro, a potent Greek spirit, for a nightcap. “The house was lived in until the start of the Second World War. To protect it, my grandfather gave one of the rooms to a priest,” he says, pointing at a religious icon in the lounge. “A relative bought us this icon. We discovered that someone had taken it but returned it to our family after a spell of bad luck. They thought it was cursed,” he adds jokingly. Kountouris suggests visiting a nearby church the next day. “It’s not open to the public but I can get the keys.”

In the morning we follow him down the hill to a small 16th-century chapel. More than 200 churches and monasteries are scattered among Zagorohoria’s villages. Inside this example, intricate frescoes gleam in the dim light. Kountouris gestures to the cupola. “Look, the Greek philosophers,” he says. “Local priests believe that they paved the way for Christianity.”

After we leave the fertile, open valley of Kato Pedina, the roads become narrower. We have to slow down as we climb the ribboned route towards the imposing peaks of the Pindus mountains.“For many years, Zagorohoria felt isolated from Greece’s largest cities due to poor road connections,” says Vasilis Iosifidis, owner of Aristi Mountain Resort and Salvia restaurant. Born in Thessaloniki, Iosifidis returned to Greece after living in Germany and now divides his time between his hometown and the small village of Aristi. “I have always been a passionate hiker and the trails here are one-of-a-kind,” he says.

This isolation has shaped Zagorohoria’s culinary traditions. At Salvia, chef Yannis Liokas combines regional ingredients with the resort’s own vegetables. The menu celebrates the region’s flavours with seasonal soups, smoked trout and roasts. The dining room hums with conversations in French, English and Yiddish, reflecting the growing international interest in this once-isolated region. Zagorohoria has many smaller guesthouses but few hotels, with the biggest being the 26-key Aristi Mountain Resort. This is in keeping with the region’s focus on preserving its character and Unesco heritage listing, as well as creating a more intimate and authentic travel experience for visitors.

“Most of the tourists in the area are Greek but there are also Israelis, Germans, Dutch and French people,” says Chloe Economides of Avragonio hotel. Avragonio is a family affair nestled beneath the imposing 700-metre-high Astraka cliffs in the village of Megalo Papigo. Possibly the region’s best-known towns, Megalo (Big) and Mikro (Small) Papigo embody its charm and have become year-round destinations for curious travellers. The hotel’s suites feature fireplaces, handwoven textiles and sweeping views of Astraka. From here, hiking trails take more adventurous visitors to the bottom of Vikos Gorge, the world’s deepest canyon relative to its width.

We exit the car just outside the village to begin our exploration on foot. Colourful wooden doors line the cobblestone streets. We take a path suggested by Giorgia, Chloe’s mother, which leads us to rock pools where locals and visitors cool themselves in the refreshing water. This brief adventure leaves us longing for a hearty meal.Papigo is home to numerous restaurants, such as Nikos & Ioulia, which offers sweeping views over the gorge. When we visit, Ioulia warmly describes the day’s offerings: slow-roasted katsiki, wild greens, briam and a sumptuous portokalopita – appropriate rewards for completing a strenuous hike in the mountains.

The next day, breakfast at Avragonio fuels us for the roadtrip to Metsovo, a three-hour drive east of Zagorohoria. As the road from Papigo begins its descent, the towering cliffs of Astraka disappear behind us and the glistening blue-green waters of the Voidomatis river come into view. A few brave tourists stand in the almost-glacial waters, while a rafting boat appears from around a bend in the gorge.

Just past Aristi, we veer off the main road, which takes us to a series of famous 18th- and 19th-century stone bridges. Their moss-covered arches – once vital lifelines connecting isolated villages – now stand as silent monuments to the area’s architectural legacy. After a while, the view opens onto the sweeping plains surrounding the Aoos Springs Dam and the landscape transforms into a serene tableau of rolling meadows and still waters.

The scent of black pine and damp grass fills the car. Shepherds sit on hillside rocks, their flocks grazing nearby. Their dogs’ protective nail-studded collars signal that we’re in wolf and bear country. We slow several times to allow animals to wander across the road. At various points, a motionless cow needs coaxing out of the way with the help of our horn, while goats stare defiantly at the car and a few sheep, donkeys and tortoises amble past.

“I call it the Greek safari,” says Maria Koulakidou, sales manager at the Grand Forest Metsovo hotel. We are welcomed into the building with hot mountain tea and invited to relax on dark-blue sofas adorned with embroidered pillows in traditional motifs. “You’ll find handmade furniture throughout the hotel, as well as pieces inspired by regional craftsmanship and Greek art,” says co-owner Ellie Barmpagiannis. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the tranquil valley views. “I always return to the mountains when I want to feel grounded,” says Barmpagiannis. As the day comes to a close, we head to the hotel pool to enjoy a swim and reflect on the path that led us here. Next time you crave an escape, why not follow in the footsteps of the Greeks: venture north and take the road less travelled. — L

Zagorohoria address book

stay
Apeiros Chora
This boutique hotel is run by the seventh and eighth generations of the Kountouris family. It comprises four rooms and two suites in a restored mansion in the centre of Kato Pedina. Artefacts are on display throughout the house.
apeiroschora.gr

stay
Aristi Mountain Resort & Villas
The largest hotel in the area, with views of the Vikos Gorge. It features a spa, two swimming pools and a restaurant. There is also an exhibition featuring the work of Greek and German artists inside.
aristi.eu

stay
Avragonio
This guesthouse is a restoration of the Economidies’ old family property in Megalo Papigo. The buildings offer unobstructed views of the Astraka cliffs and a fireplace to cosy up beside on winter nights. In summer, you can head to the infinity pool and cocktail bar.
avragonio.gr

eat
Kanela & Garyfallo
A mushroom-specialised restaurant in the small village of Vitsa. Its seasonal menu features foraged mushrooms and fresh regional ingredients.
kanela-garyfallo.gr

eat
Lithos
This restaurant offers a daily menu, with pairings of organic wines and beers from the region.
lithos-dilofo.gr

drink
Katogi Averoff
In the brown-bear habitat of Metsovo, Katogi Averoff winery offers tasting tours of lesser-known indigenous grape varieties such as vlachiko, vlachavona, gudaba and pyknoassa. The building is also a museum and testament to the rich history of the area.
katogiaveroff.gr

shop
Telis
Founded more than 90 years ago in Ioannina, this shop is now run by Rania Pitenis and her husband, Evangelos Gkogko, who still makes every knife by hand.
telisgiannena.gr

visit
Rizario Exhibition Center
In the small village of Monodendri in Zagorohoria, this museum hosts numerous photographic exhibitions of internationally renowned artists with ties to Greece. Showcases focus on Greece’s cultural and craft heritage, featuring work by artists such as Robert McCabe and Nobel Prize-winning writer Giorgos Seferis.
rizarios.gr