Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The Day after Christmas: Visiting Metsovo

Even though most of you probably think of beaches when you think of Greece, exactly because this country has so many islands, you should also know that eighty percent of it is mountainous. Which means that there is so much to explore!

Metsovo is located in the Northwest, fairly close to Ioannina. It is a very traditional town of mountainous Greece, truly worth visiting. I have been there in the past, but I happened to go there this Christmas too. It was a cold and rainy day, so typical of mountain weather. Here are some pictures, and some facts...






Stone and wood are everywhere.






The people of Metsovo are excellent woodworkers.








Metsovo preserves the old ways of winemaking, cheesemaking and folk handicraft.




The Tositsas Foundation.












The Averoff Art Gallery of Metsovo, one of the most important in Greece.










The church of Agia Paraskevi, with its elaborate wood carved iconostasis.






The brown bear thrives in the surrounding area, which explains this sculpture.




And now, lunch time! At last...



3 comments:

  1. Oh this looks so Alpine to me, so familiar! Even the stones on the roofs are the same like in Alpine villages here in my area (we call them "lose" here). Thank you for this lovely trip to the "Alps" of Greece! I love islands, it's true :) but I love my mountains so much!!!

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  2. WOW !!! I must visit soon!!! Looks Amazing like in a fairytale ♥

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  3. Heheee, it is so beautiful indeed, so... yes, you must visit! Anna: I know how you feel...

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