Ioannina

Understand

Set atop a 100-metre cliff overlooking the Lake Pamvotida, the capital of Epirus contains an old town with an intriguing history. The city gained prominence in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as the seat of an almost independent state ruled by Ali Pasha of Tepeleni, who successfully rebelled against the central government of the Ottoman Empire, and kept fighting until the end, but was killed by Ottoman soldiers during the siege of his fortress in January 1822, and his head cut off to be sent to Sultan Mahmud II. His grave still stands inside the ancient citadel (the Kastro) and has become a popular tourist attraction.

Ioannina was also a significant trade center, hosting a Greek-speaking Jewish community observing their own tradition and religious rituals. They were neither Ashkenazi, nor Sephardic, but rather indigenous Jews of Greece who have lived on Greek soil for over 2,300 years. At the beginning of the 20th century these Hellenized Jews, known as "Romaniotes" immigrated to the US, mostly to the Lower East Side of New York City, where their little synagogue in Broome St. has remained unchanged from 1927. In March 1944, the Jewish Community of Ioannina was rounded up and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Today the community numbers fewer than 50 members, most of them elderly.

Get around

The city is small enough to travel through via foot.

Do

Football: PAS Giannina FC were relegated in 2024 and now play soccer in Super League 2, the second tier. Their home ground Zosimades Stadium (capacity 7600) is central in town.

Buy

Ioannina is well known for its production of hand-made silver crafts. There are about 90 workshops in the city. Prices are quite high but can drop considerably as vendors expect a bit of bargaining.

Connect

Many hotels and bars have wifi connections or you can use Instabridge application for finding available wifi connections.

Go next

Zagori – Impressive landscape with high mountains, dense barely inhabited forests and impressive gorges and the wild beauty of the Zagoria mountain villages. Gjirokastër – A town and a UNESCO world heritage site in Southern Albania. Arta village Dodoni village Konitsa Metsovo Corfu island