Ioánnina, on the west side of Lake Ioánnina, is the chief town of Ípiros and has a university, established in 1965. It is noted for its silversmith's work. The old parts of the town have preserved something of the atmosphere of the Turkish period.
Ioánnina grew up in the Middle Ages on the site of a
monastery of St John. In 1085 it was fortified by the Normans, and in 1345 became the seat of Serbian princes. From 1430 to 1913 it was in Turkish hands. The town's heyday was between 1788 and 1822, when it was the residence of Ali Pasha (1741-1822), the "Lion of Ioánnina", an Albanian, who was nominally subject to the Sublime Porte but in fact enjoyed almost absolute independence.
Air connections with Athens and Salonica. Bus connections with Athens and towns in the surrounding area.
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