Kastoria

Kastoria occupies a broad peninsula pushing into Lake Orestiada, ringed by mountains, and its old quarters of Doltso and Apozari keep the mansions of the fur merchants who made the town rich from the fifteenth century onward: stone ground floors, projecting timber upper storeys, painted rooms and stained glass. The town's greater distinction is its churches, more than fifty Byzantine and post-Byzantine buildings, many tiny, tucked between houses and frequently locked, with frescoes spanning the tenth to eighteenth centuries; the Panagia Koumbelidiki with its unusually tall drum and the Taxiarches of the Metropolis are the best known. A lakeside road circles the peninsula for about nine kilometres, popular for walking, passing the Mavriotissa monastery under plane trees. The fur industry continues, now working imported skins.

History

Earlier towns stood nearby: Celetrum, mentioned by Livy for 199 BC, which surrendered to Publius Sulpicius Galba in the Roman war against Philip V, and Diocletianopolis, founded by Diocletian and, after barbarians destroyed it, moved by Justinian to the promontory in Lake Orestiada where Kastoria stands. Its walls and oldest churches, St Stephen and the Taxiarchs, date from the 9th century, Skylitzes first mentions the town for the late 10th century during the Byzantine-Bulgarian wars, and the Normans under Bohemond took it in 1082/83 until Alexios I Komnenos forced their surrender in October 1083 (Wikipedia, Kastoria).

Highlights

• The Byzantine churches - dozens of small painted churches through the old town.
• Doltso and Apozari - quarters of timber-fronted merchant mansions.
• The lakeside circuit - a nine-kilometre walk around the peninsula.
• Mavriotissa monastery - a lakeside monastery with frescoes and plane trees.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the lake and the walking; winter brings mist and occasional snow, which suits the town. Church access is easiest in the morning, when a guardian may be present.

Before you go

Most churches are locked and seeing interiors requires effort, patience or a local guide. The fur trade dominates the commercial streets, which some visitors find uncomfortable. The lake has water-quality issues in warm months.

Nearby

The Dragon Cave sits on the lakeshore; Nymfaio and the Prespa lakes lie north and east.

Key facts