GREVENA – KASTORIA –FLORINA – KOZANI

DAY 1
Departure for Nymfaio, which is said to be the most beautiful village in Greece and one of the 10 most beautiful in Europe, a traditional preserved settlement built at an altitude of 1,350 meters, is a Panhellenic model of development with gentle tourism and environmental protection. Magical landscape for walks. From the village, along a wide paved path – 1 km. – those who want to can go on foot to the “Arktouros” Environmental Center. In beech forests and on an area of ​​10 acres, animals that are unable to survive and integrate into the natural environment are hosted. There is a special kiosk and a guide who informs and leads visitors to the animal accommodation area. A unique experience. Free time. Then departure for the border city of Florina. Getting to know the city and free time. Then the route will bring us to one of the protected National Parks of our country, Prespa. SMALL and GREAT PRESPA are the wet borders between Greece and Albania and the former Yugoslavia and are separated from each other by a narrow strip of alluvium created by the Agios Germanos current. In Small Prespa with shallow and calm waters, the silver pelicans live. We start with our first visit to AGIO GERMANOS, a village with stone mansions, at an altitude of 1,100 meters on Mount Varnountas where we will see the eponymous church with magnificent 11th century frescoes. Then we will go to the last and only Greek village on the banks of the Great Prespa, before the Albanian border, PSARADES to visit the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, from the 19th century. In the center of the Little Prespa is the tiny island of AGIOS ACHILLEIOS, which for many years when the lake froze, the difficulties of the few inhabitants were enormous, while now with the new floating bridge it is better. We will go to the island with the twenty-three Byzantine churches and we will visit the one that is of particular interest, the ruined church of Agios Achilleios from the 11th century. Then departure for Kastoria. Arrival and free time in the beautiful Kastoria which is built amphitheatrically on the beautiful Lake Orestiada with many old mansions and about 60 Byzantine churches. A walk in the beautiful natural environment of the lake with the plane trees, the seagulls, the traditional boats, the wide ones without keel and the tranquility of the landscape that will remain unforgettable for us. Then transfer and check-in at the hotel.

DAY 2
Breakfast and we depart for the impressive “Museum of Wax Figures of Folklore and Prehistory”, created in Mavrochori, Kastoria by the well-known teacher and talented artist Mr. Dimitris Panagiotidis. Next are the two new arches of the city, which recently opened to the public, the magnificent Aquarium, the largest freshwater aquarium in the Balkans in a two-story building of 450 square meters that promises to give unique moments to nature lovers as well as the Kastoria Cave or “Dragon’s Cave”. Later we will see Panagia Mavriotissa and we will have free time to walk along the lakeside road of the city. Stroll through Doltso, the old town with its narrow cobblestone streets, the old mansions that remind us of the heyday of another era. Return to the hotel.

DAY 3
Breakfast. Then we depart for Dispilio, 7 km. from Kastoria, where the first lake settlement of 5000 BC was accidentally discovered. From the Settlement we will see the faithful representation of the habits and lifestyle of Neolithic man, as a hunter in search of food, equipped with a pointed spear, a wooden axe and a leather sling with clay projectiles. Then we will head towards the stately town of Kozani, Siatista. The city is built amphitheatrically on a slope of Mount Vella, an extension of Mount Askio (Siniatsiko), at an altitude of 920 meters above the Aliakmonas valley. A stroll to admire the beautiful stone mansions, with solid architecture that convey authentic images of a dense, significant past. The heyday of the city, in which merchants, furriers and winemakers played the leading roles, began in the 17th century and lasted until the 19th. The bourgeoisie that was created at that time in Siatista did not lack in offerings, neither in the old nor in the new years. A rare sight in Siatista are the hagiographies of the church of Prophet Elias, patron saint of furriers, as they present ancient Greek philosophers, legislators and historians. The church was built in 1701 on a plateau on the central hill of Siatista and was painted by Anastasios Ioannou Kaloudis and his brothers, who came from Kepesovo in Ioannina. Similar paintings, plus wood carvings of exquisite art, can be found in the oldest church in the city, Agia Paraskevi (1677), which is located in the Gerania district. We will visit the beautiful Mansion of Poulkos and the “Two Friends” winery to taste its sun-dried wine. We continue to the city of mushrooms, Grevena. Visit a mushroom workshop to taste the wonderful mushrooms. Check-in at the hotel.

DAY 4
Breakfast and our day begins with the community of Ziakas, at 900 meters altitude and dominated by Mount Orliakas. We continue to Perivoli, near the border with the Zagorochoria of Epirus. We suggest a unique experience with a 4×4 jeep for our excursion to the “Valia Kalda” National Park and for hiking (weather permitting). Free time in Perivoli for rest and we continue to Vovousa, one of the Zagorochoria, the most remote village on the eastern side of Zagori. The village is crossed by the Aoos River and it is the roar of the waters that gave the village its name. Late in the afternoon return to the hotel and in the evening dinner at a local tavern. Overnight.

DAY 5
Breakfast. Our first visit is Smixi, the closest village to the Vasilitsa ski resort, with old stone fountains & mansions. We continue to the hill of Annitsa, at an altitude of 1728 meters, where a World War II monument has been erected for the 120 fallen Greveno officers and soldiers in November 1940. Next is the famous Samarina, a well-known village (the highest in the country), built in Smolika at an altitude of approximately 1,450 meters, in a landscape of unparalleled beauty. There we will have free time for lunch and coffee. Our next visit is the village of Spilaio. which is located at an altitude of 960 meters. The village of Spilaio is built on the «balcony» of Mount Orliaka. From the Cave, then, we begin our hike by walking on a path that the residents used in the past to access the sources of the Venetikos River and the arable lands. We soon reach the Portitsa Valley, which leads to a deep gorge. There, the Portitsa Bridge dominates, one of the most beautiful bridges in the Grevena Prefecture, in a landscape of unique beauty worldwide! It was built in 1743 with donations from the Monastery of Spilaio. Under its arch, the Venetikos River, a tributary of the Aliakmonas River, passes. Behind the bridge, we will see two huge rocks that stand like intricate stones and add a wild beauty to the valley. A short stop to enjoy the view and return from the cobblestone path back to the village square. Our wonderful route continues to Trikomo, with the Aziz Aga Bridge at the foot of Pindos. It is a single-arch bridge, the highest in Western Macedonia and one of the largest in Greece. Return to our hotel for rest and in the evening dinner at a local tavern to taste the wonderful mushrooms and local products of Grevena. Overnight.

DAY 6
Breakfast. First stop is the Natural History Museum in Milia, Grevena, which hosts the largest mammoth tusks ever found and have been included in the Guinness Book of Records. Our next stop is VELVENTO in Kozani, a beautiful settlement with a rich history, as it flourished particularly during the period of Turkish rule. The beautiful squares, the FOLKLORE MUSEUM, with information and evidence from the pre-industrial era, as well as the churches of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, Agios Minas and Agios Nikolaos, are the most important points of interest of the settlement. Free time for visits and walks and we continue passing the artificial lake of Polyphytos, to the picturesque settlement of NERAIDA, built on a hill, above the Bridge of Servia, offering a unique view. Return route with intermediate stops.