Grevena, in the southwestern corner of Macedonia, is one Greece’s most mountainous and rugged districts, offering a wealth of options to diehard alternative sports fans.
There are six summits above 2,000 meters in the Pindus mountain range, which separates the district from Epirus, the region to the west. The Vasilitsa Ski Center sits at an altitude of 1,720 meters, 45 kilometers from the town of Grevena and 417 km from Athens.
Crossed by the country’s longest river, the Aliakmonas, and three of its tributaries, Grevena is marked by plenty of superb old stone bridges. It also hosts within its boundaries one of the country’s most impressive national parks, Valia Calda. Its abundant wildlife includes birds of prey and animals such as the brown bear which are rarely found in other areas of the country. The national park is best visited between May and October and merits a separate presentation.
Mt Orliakas, in the west of the Pindus mountain range and in the center of the district of Grevena, is especially worth touring in the fall on account of its stunning natural beauty. It is only 1,464 meters high but is rugged, with steep and imposing bluffs hosting rare birds of prey and lush foothills with a vast variety of trees. Higher ground is dominated by fir, plane, black pine and beech trees. In the autumn, the deciduous trees make a collage of an unmatched color palette. You will also find plenty of wild flowers (more in springtime), including many varieties of orchid.
Although generally poorly maintained, the main villages on Mt Orliakas are good examples of mountain communities that have survived for centuries in an unspoiled and breathtaking natural environment and which central authorities and occupiers have found hard to control.
A tour of the villages is possible with an ordinary car, while a 4x4 vehicle will take you nearly to the summit through forest roads. From there, you have fine views of the villages of Ziakas, Spilaio and Lavda and the plain to the north.
Ziakas, at 900 meters and 19 km southeast of Grevena town, can be used as a base for a tour of the area. There is a splendid stone bridge 3 km away and at about the same distance to the south lie two large caves used in the past as refuges by the locals during difficult times.
Nearby Spilaio has evidence of habitation since the Iron Age, an ancient acropolis and necropolises of successive periods. Its castle, which hosts a monastery, has been declared a listed monument. The area is full of fresh water springs. The highlight, however, is the wild Portitsa Gorge, 800 meters long and 150-200 meters high, where visitors need special equipment. The gorge is accessible via a stone-flagged path 1,200 meters long and a stone bridge -- a double-arched, 19th-century construction 34 meters long, still in use today.
Lavda is a lovely, small village 35 km northwest of Grevena at 1,050 meters, where the few dozen inhabitants live off farming and logging. The dense forest around it hosts rabbits, foxes and bears. The village has a folk history collection of items dating to before 1700, which is open throughout the year.
Crossing the Orliakas forest at an altitude of 1,300 meters, one comes to Avdella, a village which hosts up to 3,000 people in the summer. In recent years, it has become better known thanks to Theo Angelopoulos’s 1995 film “Ulysses’ Gaze” as the birthplace of the Manakis brothers, the first filmmakers in the Balkans. “Ulysses’ Gaze” begins with their first production, “Spinning Women,” made in Avdella in 1907.
Two branches of the Venetikos, a tributary of the Aliakmonas, meet near Trikomo, a village at 800 meters situated in an oak forest that hosts archaeological evidence of habitation as far back as Hellenistic times. About 4.5 km east of Trikomo one can visit the famous triple-arched stone bridge of Aziz Aga, 71 meters long and 15 meters at its highest point, built during the Ottoman era to serve the trade route between Macedonia and Epirus. Three kilometers south is the bridge of Kagelia, older than that of Aziz Aga. Near Venetikos, there are the remains of the old water mills that operated up until about 50 years ago.
Transport & useful info
Αrea phone code: 24620. From Athens, it’s a solid five-hour drive, either via Larissa and Deskati or via Karditsa and Meteora (worth a stop). The one daily intercity bus connection from Athens (210.512.6833) leaves at 9 a.m. and the trip takes seven hours. From Thessaloniki, the shortest route is via Veria, Kozani and the new Egnatia Highway. Thessaloniki bus station: 2310.595.485; Grevena bus station: 22242; police: 87894/62; taxi: 22559; hospital: 74400/1/2.
Where & what to eat
The district is a feast for lovers of meat in all its forms, with unmatched mutton kebabs. This is the season for mushrooms (more than 50 varieties) and there are two specialist shops, Manitari and Manitaroproionta, -- ask for boar stifado. Also, excellent dairy products, ice cream, honey, hilopittes, trahana and beans in the area.
What to see & activities
Grevena has more operators for alternative sports activities than any other area in Greece: Overland (www.overland.gr), No Limits (www.nolimits.gr), Alpine Zone (www.alpinezone.gr), Trekking Hellas (24620.82858). Go skiing at Vasilitsa (84850, e-mail exkb@grevenanet.gr). Mountain-climbing club: 28602. Vasilitsa chalet: 84100. See the fossilized remains of a 200,000-year-old elephant at Grevena’s Municipal Folk Museum. |
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