A photographic journey into the lives of the Jews of Ioannina of the past century

A photographic journey into the lives of the Jews of Ioannina of the past century

Nissim Levis, a member of an affluent Jewish family in Ioannina, killed in the Holocaust, captured the lives of the Jews in Ioannina city in Epirus in 500 images. The photographs are in the form of glass photographic plates, and were passed down in…

Skaros, a traditional Greek folklore song from Epirus that is a hymn to nature

The song “Skaros” is one the few examples in Greek folklore music where through mimicking the sounds of nature, the “soul” of the Epirotic pastoral landscape is condensed and reconstituted through this unique and exemplary music. What “Skaros” song describes so eloquently and emotionally is…

The art of stonemasonry in another dimension

Τhe art of stonemasonry in a another dimension

ABOUT THE ARTIST Andreas Tefos was born in a family of stonemasons in Konitsa, a border town of northern Greece, that is renowned throughout the country for it’s masons. He worked every summer since he was 13 along with his father and fellow stonemasons and…

Traditional Café in Elafotopos, Zagori – “ΚΑΦΕΝΕΙΟΝ ΣΥΝΑΝΤΗΣΙΣ”

Traditional Café in Elafotopos, Zagori - "Καφενείον Συνάντησις"

A really small traditional Café, or else kafeneion as cafes are called in Greece, that had been eluding my radar for quite a while, that has little to offer in terms of goods but a lot in terms of “experience”. Greek coffee, tsipouro, boiled cauliflower…

Two tsipouro distillations in one day!

Two tsipouro distillations in one day!

I. The learned version: empirical knowledge gathered from fathers & grandfathers mated to the modern theories The official government seal that grants permission to the owner of the still to distill tsipouro for a few precious days every year! Emptying the still from the remaining grapes…

Trachana { Frumenty }

Traditional Trachana { Frumenty }, Zagori, Ioannina, Greece

Trahana is part of the culinary scene in the hoseholds of the Zagori region. It is a centurie’s old traditional food made every year by the women of the Zagori but also of Greece in general. Nowadays it can be readily found in the supermarkets…

Vine harvesting in Zitsa, Ioannina

Vine harvesting in Zitsa, Ioannina

Only 35′ away from Central Zagori is the wine zone of Zitsa where it is almost vine harvesting time and the area has a couple of very interesting Vineyards: Domain Glinavos & Zoinos Winery. They are both open to visitors but please call them for…

The triune church of St. George in Negades village in Zagori, Epirus

The church of St. George in Negades of Epirus and the work of painters from Kapesovo Iοannis and Anastasios Anagnοstis

Agios Georgios or St. George in Negades village, is an excellent sample of ecclesiastical architecture. This imposing triune Church is one of the most impressive churches in Zagori and Epirus in general. It was completed in 1795 by the benefactor merchant Hatzimanthos Ginou. It has a…

It is the season for tsipouro in Zagoria

Making tsipouro the traditional way in Zagori, Epirus, Greece, with good friends, music, grilled sheep and homemade cheese

Making tsipouro in Zagori using the traditional method of steam distillation, with the company of good friends, traditional Epirotic music (local music from Epirus), … grilled sheep and homemade cheese. Tsipouro (Greek: τσίπουρο), a pomace brandy from Greece that comes in two types: pure and…

Natural beauties of Greece

Holy Monastery of Iviron or Iveron, an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece

Greece is a very diverse land full of surprises. Most of Greece consists of mountains, making our country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Mount Olympus, the mythical abode of the Greek Gods, culminates at Mytikas peak 2,917 m (9,570 ft), the highest in…