Ioannina

The castle walls rise from the shore of a still lake, minarets and domes visible above the ramparts, and across the water a small island trails woodsmoke from its monastery chimneys. The old town inside the walls is layered — Byzantine foundations, Ottoman mosques, Jewish quarters, and silversmith workshops all pressed together in lanes too narrow for anything wider than a handcart.

Ioannina's history pivots around Ali Pasha, the Albanian-born warlord who ruled the western Greek mainland from 1788 to 1822 as a semi-autonomous power. He hosted Lord Byron, built a fleet on Lake Pamvotis, and was ultimately assassinated on the island in the lake's centre — the monastery of St Panteleïmon, where the killing took place, is open to visitors. The island has been inhabited since the 13th century and is reached by public boat from the lakefront. Inside the Frousion castle, a mosque now serves as a museum, and the Byzantine collection holds icons and silverwork from the region. The silversmith quarter has produced metalwork since the 17th century using techniques from the Ottoman imperial workshops, and several workshops still operate today. The city serves as the gateway to both Zagori and the Vikos Gorge.