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.
Four km/2.5mi northeast is the stalactitic cave of Pérama. Discovered by accident in 1940, this has a total area of 14,800 sq.m/17,700 sq.yd. The temperature of the air in the cave is 18°C/64°F.
The Citadel (Froúrion), with the Aslan Aga Mosque (1619), has some picturesque nooks and corners, and affords beautiful views of the lake and the Pindos mountains. In the east corner is the Ali Pasha Mausoleum. The Kyrá Frosyni taverna on the lakeside promenade is named after one of a number of Greek women whom Ali Pasha drowned in the lake.
The municipal folk museum has fine collections of jewelry, textiles and traditional costumes.
Address: Ioánnina Citadel / Aslan Aga Mosque / Byzantine Museum, Anatoliki Akropoli, Ioánnina , Greece
An interesting trip is to Monastery Island in the lake with its seven monasteries. In one of them, the monastery of St Panteleimon, Ali Pasha was killed by the Turks in 1822 (memorial room).
The Philanthropinon Monastery is noteworthy for its frescoes, particularly that of the Seven Sages of antiquity.
Established in 1995, the Byzantine Museum in Ioannina contains early Christian and Byzantine sculptures, as well as items from the excavation site at Arta, pottery, literary items, post-Byzantine icons and silver items.
Address: Byzantine Museum of Ioannina, 45221 Ioánnina, Greece
Hours:
8am-5pm; Closed: Mon
Tips: Admission is free on Sundays between November and March.
Combination tickets for the Archaeological and the Byzantine Museum of Ioannina are available.
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Greek National Day (March 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Easter - Christian
Tips: Admission is free on Sundays from November to March.
A trip northward from Ioánnina in the direction of the Albanian frontier can be recommended for its magnificent scenery. In this area are the Zagokhoriá, the villages in the Zagória mountains which were semi-autonomous even in the Turkish period.
30 km/19 mi west of Dodóna, to the north of the road to Igoumenítsa, lies Zitsa, with the commandingly situated monastery of the Profítis Ilías, celebrated by Byron in "Childe Harold".
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Zagokhoria, Greece
Vikos Gorge, Ioannina
Vikos Gorge, Ioannina
