Gorgeous Territory in Vikos

We stopped in Metsovo on our way to Vikos Gorge. Metsovo is home to some really tasty cheeses, deli meats and wine...so a perfect stop for a picnic. With the clerk's help, Shelly & Pat sampled and selected a variety of cheese, meat, and wine. Then we moved on to the recommended bakery to select bread. All in all a cute town and a satisfying break. ...There is a recommended Folk Art Museum in Metsovo but, as luck would have it, it is closed on Thursday. Sigh.

We were headed to one of several largely overlooked areas of Greece.  But we knew it would be a highlight for us. Aside from its remoteness, one reason it is overlooked could be that no one knows what to call the area. Honestly. We spent several days there and still aren't sure. Perhaps folks favor a name that features the highlight of the area for them. For example:

• Epirus is a prefecture / state. Consider this the generic name for the greater area that includes the green forested part of the country, sometimes referred to as the Switzerland of Greece. Some dramatic landscapes in the area include the Pindus Mountains and the Vikos Gorge.
• Vikos Gorge was the star attraction for us. Vikos is listed as the world's "deepest relative to its width" gorge by the Guinness Book of Records and is often referred to as the 2nd deepest gorge after the Grand Canyon...but you know statistics... In any event, it is impressive.
• Flowing nearby the gorge, is the gorge'ous (pun intended) aqua Voidomatis River. Actually it may be the river that created the canyon. 
• Zagorochoria (or the Zagori villages) refers to 46 picturesque villages nestled in the remote area. Apparently the Zagoria people are remnants of a flourishing 17th century culture that co-existed with Ottoman rule. These beautiful, nearly deserted villages, are built of stone. In fact the area is renowned for it stone masons. They built private homes and public buildings, churches, monasteries and bridges. And there are 30+ stone bridges (sturdily built without concrete) that dot the area picturesquely. Most are single arched but one has three arches

We were staying in Aristi on the north end of the gorge. From our hotel, we had a scary view of the road up to Papingo... I swore that I (Pat) would never go up that road.  But, yet... Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Aristi is one of the sizeable towns in the area, with a handful (and a satisfying mix) of lodges and restaurants. In 1990 there were less than 5 residents. This grew to 64 residents in 2015! It seems to be enough to provide some fine touristic services (several lodges, several restaurants, a few shops, and an outfitter offering hiking, rafting, and trekking.

We drove to Monodendri, the southern entry point to the park, to meet our guide. After discussing our interests and capabilities, he selected an appropriate hike. But first he showed us the view of the gorge from Oxya Viewpoint. Then we stopped at the nearby Stone Forest, large layered rock formations before heading to Vikos at the other end of gorge. 

Top: Voidomatis River, Stone Forest. Bottom: View from Oxya Viewpoint, view from Vikos viewpoint

Our hike began at the Aristi Bridge and continued along the Voidomatis River to the Kildonia Stone Bridge. It was a delightful hike on a rustic trail along that beautiful aqua colored river. The area is known for cool, rainy weather. But we got a beautiful warm day. In fact, Pat was seriously envious of the rafters playing in the rapids - both for the exhilarating ride and the cooling effect of the water.  

We had a fish lunch (trout) at a restaurant a short way from the end of the hike.

Bridges and villages were the theme of the next day. Along the way we visited the Zagorian Woman of Pindus memorial, dedicated to the women who in the winter of 1940 carried supplies to and cared for wounded Greek Troops repelling the Italian invasion. 

Woman of Pindus Memorial and view from the memorial

From there we visited the small village of Dilofo with its stone buildings and walls. 

After seeing two bridges, Kapetan Arkouda Bridge and Kokkorou ancient stone bridge we continued on to Koukoulis and the Lazaridis Botanical Museum.

Kapetan Arkouda Bridge, Pipi triple bridge, Kokkorou ancient stone bridge, and shots of Dilofo

Botanic Museum

For lunch we stopped at the Tritoxo Guest House in Koukolis. We opted for the one choice on the menu, a "type of pizza" called  Kashiopitta. We chose well. It was light and luscious, basically like a savoury Dutch Baby pancake.   

After lunch we visited the Pipi triple bridge and concluded our day with more layered rock formations along our hike to the Boloi lookout for another great view of Gorge.

The Aristi Mountain Resort has a very fine restaurant (Salvia) which serves Modern Greek Cuisine with farm fresh foods. One special dish was the "Trout baked in dough with herbs, warm potato salad, emulsion of burnt butter with trout eggs". Another was "Risotto with beetroot cream, hazelnut and aged balsamic vinegar"...lovely and tasty!

Beet risotto, Trout with potato salad,  Kashiopitta pizza 

Before leaving for Preveza we did  manage the winding road to Papingo, another quaint town, in the mountains across from our hotel. Remember that town that Pat swore she would never go to?  Well, somehow in visiting the towns of Dilofo,  Koukolis and others, as well as seeing trucks and buses going up and down the switchbacks, she managed to suspect it was safer than it seemed.

Looking down on the road to Papingo; looking at it on Google maps.

Dave counted 22 switchbacks on the way up. 

Some photos from Papingo, including carved building blocks on a home under construction.