TRAVEL TUESDAY #114 - METSOVO, GREECE

“I believe in traditions; I believe in the idea of things being passed between generations and the slow transmission of cultural values through tradition.” - Graham Moore

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Metsovo is a town in Epirus on the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece, between Ioannina to the north and Metéora to the south. The largest centre of Vlach life in Greece, Metsovo is served by GR-6 Roadway and also by Egnatia Odos Motorway. This one of the most picturesque towns in Greece, its traditional stone houses nestling on the steep mountainside. It is the largest Vlach town in Greece and one can her the Vlach language spoken here as well as Greek.

Metsovo is found at 1200 m altitude in an impressive verdant landscape, on the spot that North and South Pindos Mountains separate. Despite the radical growth of tourism in the latest years, the area has not lost its traditional character. It harmoniously combines the past with the present and it is an ideal shelter not only in winter when you will probably see it in snow and enjoy winter sports, but it has much to offer during all of the seasons of the year.

Being the birthplace of some of some of the most important Greek National Benefactors, Metsovo could not but be famous for its great cultural development. You will admire its museums, the mansions made of stone, the monasteries, the twenty traditional fountains and the cobbled streets. You may also have the chance to attend one of the many cultural events that are organised in the well-appointed conference centre. In addition, you can walk around and enjoy your meal, coffee or snacks in the central square that is surrounded by restaurants and pretty cafés.

More than 200 paintings and sculptures by the great Greek artists of the 19th and 20th century are exhibited in the Averoff Gallery, the most significant cultural space in Epirus. Lytras, Gyzis, Volanakis, Parthenis, Hatzikiriakos-Gikas, Tsarouhis, Moralis, Fasianos, are just a few of the famous artists with works in the collection, housed in a spectacular building with three floors behind the town’s main square.

Finally, there are several areas around Metsovo, each of which has something special to offer. You can visit Anthochori, which has an open air museum of water-driven machinery, Chrisovitsa with Panagia Monastery and its famous potatoes, the villages Anilio and Votonosi, as well as the traditional settlement of Milia on the borders of the National Forest.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the  Wordless Wednesday meme.