Vacations in Greece
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Zagorohoria, Vikos , Aoos - National Forest
The Zagorohoria (villages of Zagoria) 46 traditional settlements bounded by Mts. Mitsikeli, Gamila and the Aoos River form a fascinating geographical, architectural and cultural unit.
They are distributed among the eastern, central and western Zagori districts.
The region is one of the country' s richest in animal and plant life, not only as regards numbers of species, but also rate species (bear, deer, wild goat, jackal and the like). The architecture here is very distinctive, the houses having been built exclusively of the local grey stone. The Sarakatsan nomadic herdsmen of the region maintain traditions carried down from antiquity, which can be witnessed at their annual get-together held on the first weekend in August at Giftokambos in Central Zagori.
In Eastern Zagori the most beautiful villages are Tristeno, Grevenitsa, founded by the Byzantine emperior Konstantinos Pogonianos in 670, andFrambouri.
In Central Zagori, the following villages stand out : Vitsa with its characteristic churches; Monodendri, the starting point for hikers wishing to walk the Vikos Gorge as far as the Voidomatis springs (5 hours on foot); Tsepelovo, the biggest village in the district and the site of the Rangavi Monastery (founded in 1050); and Skamneli, many of whose houses are decorated with folk paintings of the 18th and 19th century.
In Western Zagori, Mikro and Megalo Papingo are the best known for their authentic stone architecture. They are the starting point for hikes to the Astraka refuge (3 hours on foot) and Drakolimni (1 hour on foot).