Experience the best of Ioannina

Ioannina sits on the shore of Lake Pamvotida, below the mountains of the Pindus range in the Epirus region of north-west Greece. Its walled castle, with the inner citadel of Its Kale, encloses the Fethiye Mosque, the Byzantine Museum and a museum in the Aslan Pasha Mosque, all reached through stone lanes. The old town has a long tradition of silversmithing, and craft shops still sell silverwork.

A short boat ride leads to the small island in the lake, where monasteries stand among trees and where the Ottoman ruler Ali Pasha met his end in 1822. The Perama Cave, full of stalactites, lies near the city, and the ancient theatre and oracle of Dodona are a short drive away. Beyond lie the Zagori villages, with their arched stone bridges, and the Vikos Gorge, one of the deepest in the world for its width.

Pies of hand-rolled filo, river trout from the Pindus, smoked cheese from Metsovo and tsipouro, the local grape spirit, are typical of the cooking. Winters are cold and sometimes snowy, and summer evenings by the lake are warm, so spring and autumn are good times to walk in the hills.