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The Prefecture of Kastoria is located at the west end of Western Macedonia, bordering with the prefectures of Florina, Grevena, Kozani and Ioannina, as well as with Albania, to the west. The city of Kastoria unfolds amphitheatrically 620 metres above sea level. It is built on a peninsula that penetrates Orestiada Lake, in the shade of the impressive mass of Grammos and Vitsi Mountains. According to the last census, the population of the Prefecture is 53.483 inhabitants, 20.636 of whom live in the city. Kastoria is connected with Athens by air, through the “Aristotle” International Airport at Argos Orestikon. The Prefecture is nowadays easily accessed via Egnatia Highway. Alternatively, one can always use the old national road. Kastoria
Trekking Tour around the lake.
The facilities of two ski centres serve the needs of the ever-increasing fans of winter sports. The ski centre of Vitsi is at the borders of the Prefectures of Kastoria and Florina, 22 km from the city of Kastoria. Located 1.610 m above sea level, in a unique landscape with picturesque settlements, dense beech forests and rare fauna and flora, the ski centre has 3 lifts and 5 slopes. All slopes have a common starting point and they are served by the same lift. The central slope is 1000m long, the side north-eastern one is 2.500m long and the side north-western one is 1.300 m long. The ski centre of Vigla (Pisoderi) is at the junction of the Varnountas and the Vernos ranges, … km from Kastoria. Its 5 lifts and 10 slopes cover the needs of a large number of skiers of all skill levels. On the top of the ski centre, the view to Prespa Lake is really fascinating.
Rowing in the lake • Rowing is closely associated with the life of the city, since many national and international watersport events are held in the lake.
Sport activities in the river and the lake Rafting in Nestorio. Descent from the Aliakmonas River springs. Mountain Biking
Sport Tourism At Argos Orestiko, there is an airfield to meet the needs of the most demanding fans of modelism. For the fans of speed and adventure, there are moto-cross tracks at Asproklissia and Chiliodendro.
The small tour around the lakethe lakeside road • The lakeside road is asphalted but it is very narrow. Huge sycamores and willows bow on the lake. At the beginning of this tour, you can see the Byzantine chapel of Agios Nikolaos, which is surmounted on the rock. As we move on, we meet walkers and companies fishing with canes. Beautiful pictures revealing the ever-refreshed relation of people with the lake. This tour is ideal for those who want to closely enjoy the lake. The best way to enjoy the landscape is to make this tour on foot or by bicycle. Leaving the two-way road passing from Doltso, the traveller has 7 idyllic kilometres ahead, by the lake.
The small tour around the lakePanagia Mavriotissa • On the plateau, in front of the Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa, stands a 900-year old sycamore tree, that has been classified as nature monument. There we find vendors selling their products (legumes, walnuts, pickles, tea) to the passer-byes. The visit to the monastery fills us with a feeling of tidiness and humbleness. The wall paintings dating back to the 12th century are on the internal and the external walls of the katholikon as well as in the chapel of Agios Ioannis Theologos. The figures of the hagiographies, lightened by the scanty candlelight and the reflection of fire burning in the stove, take a new dimension.
The small tour around the lakeFishing in nature • As we move on, the same dense vegetation prevails on both sides of the road and there are many kiosks ideal for picnic. The blue labels placed by the Amateur Fishermen Association warn us now and then “ Fish without being illegal, my friend amateur fisherman”. Quietness is often interrupted by the birds dipping into the water and flying out of the reeds. Ducks, pelicans, herons, cormorants find shelter and plenty of food in the lake.
Traditional boats A type of boat is the canoe, which is small and is used for shallow fishing. It is really impressive that such a boat, made of a single wood trunk, has been discovered in the Neolithic lake settlement of Dispilio.
The Mansions “Arhontika” In Apozari and Doltso, the districts where the glorious past of the city is still present, stand the majestic mansions of Kastoria. They were built in the 17th and 18th century and they are the indisputable witnesses of the economic and artistic prosperity of that time, when the furriers expanded their activities outside the borders of the country. These extraordinary architectural works were made by the hands of “maïstores” (masters) from Macedonia and Epirus, traveling in the Balkans and Minor Asia.
Mansions called “Arhontika”The traditional houses of Kastoria . The main provision of structure is constituted by horizontal orders of stones that are separated between them with double or more lines of stones The process of building is characterized erratic. Becomes use of stones in their natural form that is surrounded by ceramic mortar.
Stone bridges The Bridge of Kousioumplis is located between the mountains of Voios and Smolikas on the river of Zouzouli. It used to link the villages of Zouzouli and Eptachori and it was built in the late 16th century. The stone bridges are masterpieces of traditional architecture and an integral part of the landscape of Kastoria. The bridge of Zouzouli is surrounded by dense forest and high peaks, away from any road or any pathway.
Churches In the area of the Cathedral, we find Taxiarches Mitropoleos, a three-aisled vaulted basilica, with wall paintings dating back to the 10th century. The eighty churches date back to the 9th to the 14th century. They are built inside and outside the city walls and they are masterpieces of Byzantine art.
Hagiographies The byzantine art From the early Byzantine period to the beginning of the Turkish Domination, the city of Kastoria had a ceaseless artistic production of high quality. The intense building activity of this period led also to the parallel flourishing of the art of hagiography, as it was expressed through wall paintings and portable icons. It is not exaggerating to say that a tour around the churches of the region is enough for having an overview of the different expressions of the whole Byzantine art.
Prehistory Near the village called Nostimo (on the south-west side of the prefecture), we find the Fossilized Forest. 15-20 million years ago, the rivers’ deposits formed a huge delta, where a wild subtropical forest with beeches, chestnuts, oaks and palms developed. The restructuring of this prehistoric settlement initiates, in the most effective way, visitors into the life of humans in Neolithic age.
