In Metsovo and Kastoria - incredible beauty!
Description:
My friends, I invite you to the author’s trip, in which you will visit 2 cities belonging to the most vivid and beautiful places of Greece, which are famous for their traditions and history! This is Metsovo - the capital of cheese and Kastoria - which is commonly mentioned among tourists as the center of squeezing, which attracts them by a certainly large selection of fur products. But!! Now we will not talk about them at all, because this is a separate trip and a separate conversation.
The road is very beautiful, straight, through the tunnels through which you will see the stormy river - Alyakmonos, you will see the beautiful mountains, to which we will slowly and gently climb. And when you stand at a height of more than 1,000 meters and look down, you will feel that someone has scattered a handful of red beads. Yes, at this height, everything looks different at home. There at a height, on one of the most beautiful slopes of Pindos, at the crossroads of Epirus, Thessaly and Western Macedonia is Metsovo. It is built on the slopes in the form of an amphitheater, tiled roofs and wooden verandas of houses are scattered among beeches and fir trees, to sounds in abundance of flowing water.
The square in Metsovo is, of course, one of the most famous squares in mountainous Greece, and thousands of visitors come here every year, taking pictures next to a sculpture of two bears and viewing elderly old men with heavy wooden sticks, with twisted bizarre handles that adorn the national patterns of wood carvings. And resting on them, they "traditionally" sit in their gazebo and discuss tourists in the local dialect), this is where we drink a cup of morning coffee.
In the village we will visit the winery of Mr. Averov, believe me, it will impress you! The riot of colors and tastes of wine will delight you, and not the unusualness of the cellar and barrels will surprise you! There you will be able to taste and buy one of the best wines not only in Greece, but throughout Europe! We will also visit the small art gallery of Averov: the house of the great Greek artists. More than 200 paintings by the great Greek artists of the 19th and 20th centuries make up the dowry of one of the most important art centers in Epirus. We will definitely visit my favorite three-storey mansion - a museum - Baron Mikhail Tositsa! It is there that we will be able to feel the real life of the locals of the 16th and 17th centuries. You will be able to walk along the beautiful, ancient streets of an urban-type village, admire the handmade woodwork of local residents, drink cold spring water and taste delicious local food cooked on fire and spit, these are famous dishes: condosuvli, kokoretsi, cleutico and of course traditional - pita with cheese! Do you want to taste the scents of Mount Pindos? Easy! It is a traditional Metsovo cheese and one of the most beloved in Greece. It's called Metsoone, which is a famous smoked cheese. It is said to have collected all the fragrances of Pindos. The secret of cheese is in the delicious milk, which its manufacturers buy from the cattle breeders of the area, because from spring to autumn cattle freely graze on mountain meadows. A mindless amount of cheese with spices, cheese in wine, cheese in pepper, cheese in ariganno, you can list for a long time, but it is better to try!)
And you don't want to leave! And if so, we can stay there overnight, in a cozy hotel with a fireplace, and in the morning continue our interesting trip to the mountains, to the lake, to the gorge and other interesting mountain villages!
After lunch in the fabulous Metsovo, we will go with you to a very beautiful city - Kastoria (movement takes -1.30 m) to admire its mirror of the soul! Yes, it is a fabulously beautiful lake - Arestiada, in the waters of which the whole city is reflected, built in the style of an amphitheater. We will tour the lake, stop for a photo and visit the wonderful temple of the 10th century, preserved for us by a miracle, see the frescoes that cause joy and peace, light candles and write notes about our loved ones. We will visit the stalactite cave of the Dragon, or the folklore museum, if you wish. And after you feed the swans and ducks in the lake, we will continue our way home. And these 2 cities you will never forget!
All participants of the tour, as a gift prayer ring with 10 knots!