Zagorohoria

I love my mountains, fresh and cool and green all year round..

Zagorohoria - 46 traditional villages in the Pindus Mountains

Way up north, close to the Albanian border there are 46 mountain villages, their houses built in local stone,  smoke drifting up from their chimneys.  Houses are perched on the sides of mountains in villages where the streets are paved with cobble stones and spreading plane trees shade the tiny central square where the old men gather to drink tsikoudia and watch their women clattering past with bags of greens gathered fresh for their dinner.   

One of our cousins has built a luxury hotel in the tiny village of Aristi.    Aristi sits above the Vikos Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world, carved  out by the Voidomatis river.  

Here I am sitting on one of the 60 stone arched bridges 

The zig-zagging mountain road to the two traditional villages of Papigo and Little Papigo

Mountain village of Aristi. Population around 200

Cow in the road.  An unusual sight for us who encounter sheep and goats everyday but rarely cows

Down below the village on the banks of the Voidomato river.  Freezing cold water, 9oC, but our cousin used to swim here daily in the summer.  It is from this delightful shaded beach that rafts are launched for a one hour trip down the river through dense natural forest, ending up under one of those magnificent stone bridges

Or you can visit one of the other villages and try a piece of the pies, cheese, chicken or greens, that are famous here. With a beer or raki

This was the hotel in 2009 when we first visited

Now a luxury boutique hotel.  Aberratio Hotel Aristi

Thick stone walls, open fireplace in every room, a huge fireplace in the reception area and a sunny terrace with an incredible view over the mountains and Vikos Gorge

Coffee time in the silence and beauty of the Zagorohoria

Our second visit was for a family wedding.  It was a three day wedding celebration, a gathering of the Tzanos clan, endless laughter, tall tales, remembrances, music and food.  

The following year younger members of the family went up for a visit and to try out some of the sports.  Besides rafting you can hike the Vikos gorge, a 7 hour hike through wild thyme, oregano and birdsong,  go horse riding, canoeing, mountain climbing or just plain walking through nature.