Kipoi, meaning “The Gardens”, is a historic stone village perched at 750 meters in the Pindus range. Known as Mpagia until 1927 – a Slavic name meaning “bath” or “wetland” – the village earned this title from its abundant waters and the iconic arched stone bridges that still surround it. Famous for its terraced fields and ancient vineyards, Kipoi served as the administrative center of Zagori for centuries, proving that this mountain enclave has always held historical weight far beyond its size.
Today, Kipoi is the ideal base to explore Zagori, a stunning cluster of 46 traditional villages spanning 1,000 square kilometers. Zagori, the region behind the mountain, is one of Greece’s most distinct landscapes defined by its unique natural and cultural environment. The cobbled streets, slate roofs, and arched bridges were sculpted from the mountains by generations of master builders. This living cultural landscape is uniquely recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, celebrating Greece’s modern architectural heritage rather than its ancient history.
Geographically and ecologically, the region is anchored by the Vikos-Aoos National Park. This pristine wilderness protects the Vikos Gorge – the deepest gorge in the world relative to its width – and the icy, crystal – clear Voidomatis River, famously known as one of Europe’s cleanest rivers. Kipoi sits perfectly positioned at the heart of this landscape, serving as a genuine gateway to the wild soul of Zagori.
Festivals & Local Life
Village life in Zagori still runs on its old calendar, and the “panigyri”, the traditional village festival, usually tied to a saint’s feast day, remains the clearest window into it. Expect an open-air church service, long communal tables, food and tsipouro sold by the village association to fund the community, and dancing to live clarinet music that often runs until dawn.
A few worth knowing about, if your visit lines up:
– Kipoi’s panigyri takes place on August 6th, celebrating the Feast of the Savior (tou Sotiros). Held in the central square beneath the shade of the iconic plane tree, the event features traditional music, dancing, and local delicacies.
– The wider panigyri season, roughly July and mostly in August, when nearly every Zagori village holds its own celebration.
– The Vikos Festival held in Monodendri region when there is a vibrant mix of live music, theater, and cultural performances set against a breathtaking mountain backdrop.
– The Mushroom Festival in Ano Pedina, in early June, celebrating the wild mushrooms the surrounding forests are known for.
– The tsipouro distillation season, through October and November, when household stills are lit across the region and neighbors gather to celebrate the new spirit.
– Assumption of the Virgin (August 15) and other major religious dates draw larger crowds and livelier festivities across Epirus.
Visitors are always welcome to join in, bring cash, expect noise and warmth in equal measure, and don’t be surprised if someone pulls you into the dance.
Food & Local Gastronomy
Zagori cooking is mountain cooking, built around what the high pastures, forests, and small gardens actually give, and around the cold winters that shaped how people here have always eaten.
Expect to find, in the village and the villages close by tavernas and at your own table:
– Pites, the region’s famous handmade pies, thin layers of hand-rolled dough filled with wild greens (hortopita), local cheese (tyropita), leeks, pumpkin, or meat. Zagori is considered one of the heartlands of Greek pie-making.
– Local cheeses and dairy: Τhe mountain pastures around Zagori support some of the best dairy in Greece, from fresh cheeses to preserved ones aged through the winter.
– Wild greens and mushrooms, foraged from the forests and hillsides, especially in spring and autumn.
– Slow-cooked meats, lamb, goat, and game, often cooked for hours over wood fire.
– Tsipouro, the local grape spirit, central to hospitality here; villages hold informal ‘kazania’ (distillation gatherings) every October-November, when neighbors take turns at the still and the result is drunk that same night with meze.
In our own kitchen, you’re welcome to cook with whatever you’ve picked up from the village shop, the Ioannina market, or the surrounding countryside, the long dining table was built for exactly that.
Stone Bridges
If one image defines Zagori, it’s the arched stone bridge – single, double, or the rare triple arch – spanning a ravine that’s bone-dry in summer and roaring by spring. More than a hundred of them survive across the region, most built in the 18th and 19th centuries and paid for by local benefactors, whose names the bridges still carry.
Kipoi itself is sometimes called “the village of the bridges,” and you can reach several of the finest on foot directly from the house:
– Kalogeriko (Plakidas) Bridge: the region’s most photographed bridge, a graceful triple arch over the Voidomatis, first built in wood and rebuilt in stone in 1814 by the Abbot Serafeim of the nearby monastery. From above, its rippling arches have earned it the nickname “the moving caterpillar.”
– Kontodimos (Lazaridis) Bridge: a single-arch bridge right at the edge of Kipoi, built in 1753, wrapped in local legend about hidden icons and a candle that used to burn on the cliff above it.
– Kokkoris (Noutsos) Bridge: one of the most iconic single-arch bridges in Zagori, on the old road linking Koukouli, Dilofo and Kipoi.
– Mylos Bridge: a smaller, unusual bridge with two large arches and one small one, built in 1748 to serve the old watermill.
– Kapetan Arkoudas Bridge: an easy walk toward Dilofo, with a history tangled up in the region’s turbulent 19th-century past.
A half-day loop from Kipoi through Koukouli and back can take in four or five of these bridges, following the same stone paths that connected the villages long before there were roads.
Hiking & the Outdoors
Zagori was built without cars in mind. Long before the modern roads, its 46 villages were linked by a dense network of cobbled and mountain paths, stone staircases, and of course bridges, and almost all of it is still walkable today.
From Kipoi, you can set out on:
– Village-to-village walks: old stone paths connecting Kipoi, Koukouli, Vitsa, and Dilofo, easy enough for most fitness levels, with a bridge or a church at the end of nearly every stretch.
– The Vikos Gorge: for the more ambitious, a full traverse (usually approached from Monodendri or the Papigo side) is one of Greece’s classic hikes, through beech forest and towering limestone walls.
– Vradeto Steps: a dramatic staircase of hundreds of stone steps cut into the mountainside, connecting Kapesovo with the tiny, high village of Vradeto, and leading on to the Beloi viewpoint, arguably the single best view into the Vikos Gorge.
– The Voidomatis River: for something gentler, the springs and pools near Aristi and Papigo offer some of the coldest, clearest water you’ll find anywhere, and are a popular spot for a swim, a picnic, or light rafting and kayaking in season.
– Mount Tymfi (Gamila): for serious trekkers, multi-day routes lead up toward the Astraka refuge, the Drakolimni (“Dragon Lake”) and the high alpine terrain above the tree line.
Guided options are widely available locally, from half-day bridge walks to multi-day mountain treks, and mountain bikers and trail runners will recognize Zagori as the home of the well-known ‘Zagori Mountain Running‘ race, held here every year.
What to See Around Kipoi
– Koukouli: a small, exceptionally well-preserved village dating to the 13th century, a short walk or drive away, with fine stone architecture and its own iconic square.
– Vitsa & Monodendri: traditional villages on the edge of the Vikos Gorge; Monodendri is the classic starting point for the full gorge trek and home to the cliffside ‘Agia Paraskevi Monastery’.
– Dilofo: one of the most atmospheric and least-altered stone villages in Zagori, largely car-free at its center.
– Papigo (Megalo & Mikro Papigo): arguably Zagori’s most celebrated villages, beneath the dramatic Astraka Towers, with the natural rock pools ‘Kolymbithres’ of the Voidomatis nearby.
– Vradeto & the Beloi viewpoint: the highest permanently inhabited village in Zagori, reached by the historic stone steps, and the best panoramic lookout over the Vikos Gorge.
– The Vikos-Aoos National Park: encompassing the gorge itself, the Voidomatis springs, and the high peaks of Mount Tymfi.
– Ioannina: the regional capital, about 35-40 minutes away, built around ‘Lake Pamvotida’. Highlights include the Ioannina Castle and old town, Its Kale fortress, the small island on the lake with its Ottoman-era monasteries and the house where Ali Pasha made his final stand, and the Perama Cave, one of the largest and most decorated show caves in Greece.
– Ancient Dodona: roughly 40 minutes from Ioannina — the oracle of Zeus, one of the oldest and most important sanctuaries in the ancient Greek world, with a dramatically restored ancient theatre still used for performances today.