Metsovo

Metsovo clings to a steep amphitheatre of slopes at around 1,160 metres in the Pindus mountains, straddling the historic pass between Epirus and Thessaly. It is the cultural capital of the Vlachs, a Latin-speaking mountain people, and one of the few places in Greece where a distinct local dress, dialect and way of life are still visibly alive. Grey-stone houses with wooden balconies tumble down the hillside around a central square where older residents still gather in traditional costume.

The town owes much of its prosperity to expatriate benefactors, above all the 19th-century businessman Georgios Averoff, whose foundations funded schools, workshops and public buildings. That legacy survives in the excellent Averoff Gallery, a serious collection of 19th and 20th-century Greek painting, and in the Tositsa Museum, a restored Vlach mansion that recreates the domestic life of a wealthy mountain family.

Metsovo is best known, though, for its food and drink. Metsovone is a firm, smoked, provolone-style cheese with protected designation of origin, and the town's tavernas serve it grilled alongside hearty pies, cured meats and game. This was also the first place in Greece to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Katogi Averoff winery, with vineyards among the most mountainous in the country, produces some of its highest-altitude reds. Local shops sell hand-carved woodwork, woven textiles and bottles of fiery tsipouro to match.

The setting makes Metsovo a year-round destination. In winter it becomes a cosy ski base, with small resorts on the surrounding peaks and log fires in the tavernas; in summer it is a cool escape for walking among fir forests, springs and the nearby Valia Calda national park. Autumn brings chestnuts, mushrooms and turning leaves. Reached easily from the Egnatia Odos motorway, it sits about half an hour from Ioannina and works both as a stop between Epirus and Meteora and as a base in its own right.