Papingo: One of the Most Picturesque Villages in Greece

The picturesque colony of Papingo successful Greece. Credit: Ziegler 175/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Perched connected a mountainside adjacent the extremity of the spectacular Vikos Gorge, the picturesque colony of Papingo really consists of 2 villages, Megalo Papingo and Mikro Papingo, oregon Greater Papingo and Lesser Papingo.

Papingo (Πάπινγκο successful Greek) belongs to the municipality of Zagori successful Epirus, and is located wrong the Vikos–Aoos National Park at an altitude of 900 meters (2,952 feet), astatine the ft of Astraka, the highest of a upland called Tymphe.

Vikos Gorge is the largest canyon successful Greece and arguably successful each of Europe. Ιt is the gorge with the top extent to width ratio, according to the Guinness Book of World Records 1997.

The municipality of Zagori is celebrated for its beauteous villages, but for many, Megalo Papigo is the astir beauteous of them all.

The magnificent views of Astraka from Little Papingo. Credit: Costas78/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Unique architecture successful a magnificent upland setting

Papingo is 60 km (37 miles) from Ioannina, the superior of Epirus. Next to the gorgeous mountainous landscape, what impresses the visitant is the unsocial architecture of this region.

Before entering Papingo, 1 volition spot the Byzantine-style Agia Paraskevi Monastery, which dates backmost to the 18th century.

Cobbled streets, stately mansions, beauteous fountains, and aged Byzantine churches, each based connected the accepted section architecture, lend a precise peculiar ambiance to the village.

Next to the awesome religion of Agios Vasilios is the simple school, the enactment of Michael Anagnostopoulos, who successful 1888 founded the celebrated Kallineia Schools, 5 successful total, successful Great and Lesser Papingo.

Today, the gathering houses the Anagnostopoulos library. Anagnostopoulos (1837-1906)  was the manager of Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind, located successful Boston, Massachusetts, which was founded by his friend, the celebrated philhellene Samuel Gridley Howe.

The room determination contains immoderate uncommon works.

Megalo Papingo has galore hotels, guesthouses, inns, taverns, restaurants and cafes, each with the accepted architecture of the region.

Despite the large magnitude of tourer improvement successful caller decades, Megalo Papingo retains its identity, and the unsocial earthy scenery astir it remains virtually untouched.

The colony has unthinkable views of the towers of Astraka, and the springs of Voidomatis River, the earthy swimming excavation “Rogovo” connected the mode to Lesser Papingo and the lodge of the Astraka Mountaineering Association are conscionable immoderate of the earthy attractions there.

The accepted section architecture, lush vegetation, the incomparable quality of the mountains and the wildness of the scenery marque it an perfect destination for astir travelers.

The Church of Agios Vlasios, was built connected apical of a religion from the twelvemonth 912 successful Megalo Papingo.

Mikro Papingo

Cobblestone roads, aged mansions with people creation frescoes, aged chromatic churches, constrictive streets and the affluent backdrop of the scenery make a uniquely beauteous country astatine Mikro Papigo.

Before arriving astatine the colony you volition find tiny pools and the earthy swimming excavation called “Rogovo“. Water erosion implicit the eons has formed circular pits that look similar tiny ponds, which the locals telephone “ovires” on the Rogovo.

At the entranceway of the village, adjacent to the Church of the Archangels, is the aged school, besides the enactment of Michael Anagnostopoulos, which is besides the determination of the World Wildlife Fund Information Center, which gives accusation astir the fauna and flora of the region.

The 18th-century religion of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel (known besides arsenic the Taxiarches) has a fantastic woody reredos, oregon altar screen, made by Epirotan craftsmen.

Mikro Papingo is nether the changeless oculus of the 5 imposing peaks of Astraka Mountain, with the highest reaching 1,788 meters (5,886 feet).

There you tin find the mythical Drakolimni, oregon Dragon Lake, which enchants the traveler with its otherworldly scenery — which blends close successful with the remainder of this fairytale-like portion of Epirus.

As a preserved accepted settlement, Mikro Papingo attracts galore visitors without affecting the charm and the peculiar mode of maintaining the territorial and taste enactment of the section community.

Mikro Papingo has affluent taste heritage, a contented of its exemplary hospitality, galore activities and an incomparably beauteous earthy scenery with breathtaking views.

The clime of the portion is Mediterranean transitioning to Continental with dense snowfalls successful the wintertime and sizeable rainfall and humidity during the remainder of the year.

There is simply a precise divers flora and fauna, due to the fact that of the galore microenvironments, specified arsenic streams, rivers, lakes, forests, cultivation land, coppices, pasture, sub-alpine grassland and the unsocial biotope of the Vikos Gorge.

Voidomatis River. Credit: Joerg/Wikipedia CC BY 2.0

History of Papingo

Like the remainder of Epirus, Papingo has a precise affluent history. It is archetypal mentioned successful 1325 by Byzantine emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos.

The colony enjoyed a agelong play of prosperity from the 15th to the 17th centuries owed to the peculiar privileges that the portion of Zagori had secured from the Ottoman Sultan.

The peculiar privileges allowed for the gathering of a schoolhouse and a room successful the 18th century.

The village’s prosperity ended successful the 19th period erstwhile the village’s administrative privileges were withdrawn, aft Epirus was taken implicit by Ismael Pasha.

A demographic diminution ensued that continued done the 20th century, adjacent aft the national of Epirus with Greece aft the Balkan Wars successful 1913.

There has been a tiny summation successful the colonisation of the 2 villages successful caller decades, aft they became a tourer attraction.