Greece Trip: Zagoria (4.16.24)

Several years ago, Jonny and Jenny traveled through Meteora, Joanina, and into Zagoria, a region near the border with Albania.

Jonny highly recommended a family-owned hotel in Paglio, a small town just past the monumental Vigos Gorge, the deepest canyon in Europe.  

We couldn't get reservations in Paglio, but we drove there anyway, up and down cliff-hanging, zig-zag roads leading in and out of the canyon, to see what Jonny found so compelling.  Paglio was absolutely charming, on the edge of the wild gorge and far removed from the rest of the world.

We found our way back to Aristi, another town near the rim of the gorge, where our spacious, beautifully decorated room looked out at the wild mountains beyond.

We walked and rode through the towns of Zagoria, where old men lounged on the patios of restaurants and cats lazily wandered around the cars on the street.

The hill towns were picturesque--rows of stone houses, wrapped in green trees.

Our hotels typically included breakfast in the room rate, and the Greek breakfast buffets were as delicious as the dinners.  For breakfast, I typically filled my plate with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, a pastry or two, and thick yogurt covered with a spoonful of jam.