Mikro Papigko

We returned our rental car relatively unscathed (a little story to share on our return), and caught the ferry to Igoumenitsa. From there, it was a bus ride to Ioannina. This would be a nice city to stay a bit longer - its historical centre is very compact and interesting, but with some very good restaurants and fewer tourists.
However, our sights are set on exploring the more remote region of Zagoria, so we only had a few hours in the afternoon and the morning of the next day for Ioannina.

Zagoria is a region of the Pindus Mountains, close to the border with Albania. It is popular for its forests, ancient stone bridges, and the famous Vikos Gorge (one of the largest and deepest canyons in the world). It is made up of dozens of small villages, all tucked into the sides of the mountains, and connected by zig-zag roads as well as hiking trails.

We took off from Ioannina in a much better rental car - automatic this time. The drive was much less stressful than our experience in Corfu, partly because no changing of gears with the right hand required, but also because the roads were better. We arrived in the village of Dilofo just before noon. Dilofo, with its traditional stone houses, is listed as a historic monument. While many buildings have been restored, only about ten are actually inhabited, our lovely old hotel being one of them.
As soon as we arrived, we set off on a hike to the next village, Vitsa. The plan was to hike there, have a late lunch, and return to Dilofo not needing dinner (the one taverna here is closed today). Unfortunately, the ‘hiking path’ consisted mostly of steep, rocky uphill and downhill terrain, which presented no problems for Ian, with his long legs and super fitness, but it nearly killed me. (Don’t believe the photos - we only seem to have taken photos on the easy sections.) When we arrived at Vitsa, there were no restaurants open so we had to walk a little further. Eventually, we found a lovely place to eat. They called a taxi for us and 30 euros later 🙁, we were back at our hotel.

Back in Dilofo, we rested and then explored the village. It’s almost a ghost town. Our hotel - a beautiful old building with comfortable rooms - is also like a ghost hotel. We are the only guests and for much of the evening, the people who run the hotel were away. We had the whole place to ourselves!Read more