Blue e Green
Banner the Town of the Sun
The antique Bridge
Welcome to Iliochori the town of the sun situated in the 'Epirus's hard in the nord of Greece. A place that anybody can not miss the opportunity to visit for any reason!

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Italian Version
Italian Version:

PLACES TO VISIT:

If you love nature and fresh air you cannot miss a nice walk on the road that brings to Ioannina. After few meters outside Iliochori you will find the little church of Aghios Minas.
On the way back to Iliochori you will find the crossroad that drives into the town.

Blue and Green   The enter ofi iliochori   Blue and Green

If you love tourist places you can follow the tourist signal on the right hand side of the road that leads into Iliochori. After few meters further down we get in the new main square of the town where there is the building housing the town hall.

The gate of the square   View of the Square
     
The School   The School

If we keep going down we get to Mesochori that means "Center of the Town" as this was the old main square of the town that extended up to "Sochora"; in this public square there is the famous plane-tree, one of the largest of Greece.

Aghios Athanasios & the Plane-Tree The Plane-Tree   The Little Stone Wall of the Plane-Tree

Beside the square there is the church of Aghios Nicolas; a church really old, with ancient icons and Bizantine frescos di hagiography object.The roof was completely re-made using big plates of slade that came from the far-away Kavala.

Fiancata della Chiesa   Aghios Athanasios 1   Aghios Athanasios 2

After the big Plane-Tree we can find the bridge of Peccios made of stone; if you keep going you can find the Church of Aghios Athanasios.

Further down, on the right hand side, in the vicinity of the river Kriopotasmos we can visit the remains of the old mill and going forward are 2 big cascades.

In the vicinity of the Church of Aghios Nicolas there is the rural path that leads, after 2 km, to the little hill on top of which there is the little church dedicated to the Prophet Elia.

ittle Church of Prophet Elia
Little Church of Prophet Elia   Azure, Grey and Green


Church of Panagia Not far-way from Iliochori main square we can find the church of Panagia. In this church we can admire the ancient frescos, the altar and the vestments and vessels learnedly engraved. In front of the church there is a small covered gallery where has been placed a big venetian bell with a latin incription. In the vicinity of the church 2 catacombs well kept have been discovered. Inside them the monks of the ancient monastery used to hide themself during the Ottoman period so as not to be captured by the Turks.

What is interesting to see is the Rascianitis river that flows in the valley of the town where one can go fishing.

The road that connects Iliochori to Vrisochori then leads to Palioseli, a small town; half way we cross the Aoos river by a sturdy bridge constructed a few years ago in replacement of the old one, that was brought down by winter floods.
This road continues for the city of Koniza joining the road Ioannina - Thessaloniki.

In locality Gyftocambos, every year, on the first weekend of August the descendants of the ancient tribe of Sarachazani, great breeders, meet up for a great festivity that begins on friday afternoon. They come from all Greece and other nations of the Balkans like Romania, Bulgaria etc. On their arrival they set up the tents and light large bonfires for the preparation of the roasts and in order to warm themself because at night temperature goes down. On saturday afternoon in the center of the public paved square is ignited a big bonfire around which people will be dancing until Sunday afternoon.

Entrance of the Vlachs Village   Couple of  Huts Another kind of habitation  
         
The Vlachs Village   Couple of  Huts. Hut  

Dances are accompanied by the orchestra consisting of mandolin, clarinet, tambourine, and various solists. People drink, eat and dance; on sunday morning professional dancers perform, dressed with the typical Epirus costumes. Celebrations go on until the afternoon when people begin to take apart their tents and leave again towards their residences. It is a communitarian moment much felt that reminds the periods in which the flocks, at the beginning of spring move from the coasts to the green mountains of the Epirus. The shepherds used to move not only the flocks but also their respective family and someone has ended up with taking residence in these mountain villages. From the town of Iliochori we can admire the mountain of Papingos where the den of the famous bandit "Ndavelis" is situated. According to the historians he spent 1 year in this den during the period in which the Epirus was under the Turks domination. Papingo is also destination of the Tzai pickers (one variety of tea).

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