Zagori

Zagori is a region of the Pindus mountains in north-western Greece, made up of a network of around 46 traditional villages known collectively as the Zagorochoria. Scattered across steep, wooded slopes north of Ioannina, they were built from the same grey stone as the mountains themselves, with slate roofs, cobbled lanes and central squares shaded by a great plane tree. In 2023 the cultural landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognised for its architecture, its network of paths and its long-standing tradition of communities guarding sacred forests.

The villages grew wealthy in the 18th and 19th centuries through merchants and craftsmen working abroad, who sent money home to build churches, schools and the region's most famous feature: its arched stone bridges. More than 150 single, double and triple-arched packhorse bridges were raised across the rivers and streams here, and many still stand, including the much-photographed Plakidas (Kalogeriko) and Kokkori bridges near Kipoi.

Each village has its own character. Monodendri sits at the lip of the Vikos Gorge and guards the clifftop monastery of Agia Paraskevi; the two Papingo villages nestle beneath the sheer Astraka towers; and Dilofo, Vitsa, Tsepelovo and Kapesovo reward slow wandering through carefully restored mansions and small squares. This is walking country above all, threaded with old stone paths, and the deep gorges and springs of the Vikos-Aoos national park make it one of the best hiking areas in Greece.

Most travellers base themselves in a village guesthouse and explore by car and on foot, dipping into the gorge, the rivers and the high pastures. Zagori is at its most beautiful in late spring, when meadows flower and rivers run full, and in autumn, when the beech and oak forests turn gold and copper. Winters are cold and often snowy, giving the stone hamlets a hushed, timeless calm, while high summer offers cool mountain air and long days for the trails.