Zagori (Epirus) - Zagori (Epiro)

Zagori (Ζαγόρι in Greek) is a subregion in the Ioannina region.

To know

Zagori is the name of a region ofEpirus North of Ioannina, dotted with countless traditional-style villages. The word is of Slavic origin and means "Beyond the mountains". The region is occupied by a mountain massif, Mount Tymfa and is crossed by the Aoos and Voidomatis rivers. The latter forms the famous Vikos gorges. A characteristic of Zagori are the numerous single-arch bridges that span the course of the rivers. They all date back to the Ottoman era. It is a suitable destination for lovers of eco-tourism.

When to go

Each of the four seasons is suitable for a visit to the Zagori region. Winter, despite being characterized by inclement weather, in some ways very similar to that of some inland regions of central Italy, allows you to enjoy the spectacle of snow-covered villages, giving them a fairytale and timeless atmosphere. Walking through the stone alleys you will perceive the pungent smell of wood burning in the fireplaces of houses and taverns where locals and rare tourists gather in jovial convivialities accompanied by rivers of wine and often tsipuro, a liquor stronger than ouzo but with a less aromatic flavor, halfway between our grappa and our anisette. Already at the end of February the thermometer stood at values ​​of a handful of degrees above zero, enough for the snow to melt. Particularly pleasant in this short period are the walks along the course of rivers and streams where the water returns to flow impetuously, interspersed with pieces of ice. Summer is, like everywhere in Europe, the season that sees a greater influx of tourists, which partly contributes to depressing the magic of the villages of Zagori. However, the visitors are not that numerous; it will be sufficient to choose accommodation in one of the villages just off the beaten path to find yourself completely alone in contact with nature. Finally, autumn is the most favorable season for a visit, at least according to the judgment of most. The reason is easy to understand and is to be attributed to the foliage that takes on very bright colors between copper red and vermilion. As autumn progresses, the leaves inevitably fall, covering the paths with a thick multicolored carpet.

Background

Scattered remains of cyclopean walls testify to human presence in the region since prehistoric times. The territory was inhabited in the Mycenaean era by the Parorei ("Παροραίοι" in Greek), a tribe of the Molossians attested everywhere in Epirus and at the time of the Byzantine dominion it suffered, like all the Greece, up to the extreme offshoots of Peloponnese, the massive invasion of Slavic peoples, only partially opposed by the subsequent revival of the emperor Flavius ​​Maurice Tiberius. Traces of those invasions have remained in the toponyms including the same term Zagori which properly means behind, beyond ("za") the mountains ("gori").

The economic development of the region began in the Ottoman era, and precisely in 1430, the year in which a delegation of representatives of the 14 villages of Zagori spontaneously offered their submission to Sultan Murad in exchange for the privilege of autonomy in the internal administration. The businesses flourished above all at the time of the Pasha Alì in conjunction with the economic awakening that pervaded the whole Greece and continued until 1868, when the Sublime Porte revoked the privileges previously granted.

The decline of the villages was accentuated in the following century and continued even after the union with the Kingdom of Greece occurred during the Balkan war. The villages did not know how to equip themselves with an adequate industrial structure and its inhabitants preferred the emigration route. Particularly hard was the three-year period of the civil war (1946-1949) when the partisans financed by Stalin ousted the government troops by taking direct control of the territory and harassing the population in the worst possible way. As evidence of the brutality suffered by the inhabitants of Zagori, the dramatic and rather moving film entitled "Eleni" starring John Malkovich was made in 1985.

The "resurrection" of the villages of Zagori dates from the end of the 60s of the twentieth century thanks to the clever advertising work of the EOT, (acronym of the Greek national tourism office). Tourism still represents the region's only resource.

Territories and tourist destinations

Villages

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  Kipì

• 

  Monodendrons

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  Papingo

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  Vovousa

How to get

How to get around

What see

• Vikou gorges. 
• Gefyres. 
• Kaloyeriko Bridge (Plakida bridge). 
• Kokoris Bridge (Noutsou Bridge). 
• Kontodimos Bridge (Lazaridia Bridge). 
• Agha Kamper Bridge. 
• Tsipiani Bridge. 

Events and parties

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Average prices

• ^{[link not working]}Paradosis, 44014 Itea, East Zagori, ☎ 30 26560 31700, 30 6972 966982 (Mobile phone). 

High prices

• Aristi Mountain Resort, 44016 Aristi, Kentrikò Zagori, ☎ 30 26530 41330, fax: 30 26530 41311. Cat "A" hotel, open all year round. 
• Ameliko hotel, 44007 Ano Pedina, Kentrikò Zagori, ☎ 30 26530 71501, 30 6944 772638 (Mobile phone), fax: 30 26530 71597. Traditional cat "A" style hotel. Open all the year. -
• Primoula, 44007 Ano Pedina, Kentrikò Zagori, ☎ 30 26530 71133, 30 6936 675274 (Mobile phone), fax: 30 26530 71131. I cat pension Open all year round. 
• Porfyron hotels, 44007 Ano Pedina, Kentrikò Zagori, ☎ 30 26530 71579, 30 6945 783290 (Mobile phone). Traditional hotel of cat "A". Open all the year. 
• Troada hotels, 44007 Vitsa, Kentrikò Zagori, ☎ 30 26530 71122. Traditional hotel cat "A". 
• Dovra Hotel, 44007 Asprangeli, Kentriko Zagori, ☎ 30 26530 22828, 30 6972 229382 (Mobile phone), fax: 30 26530 22336. 

Safety

How to keep in touch

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Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Zagori (Epirus)
• Commons contains images or other files on Zagori (Epirus)