Papigo

Papigo, in two parts called Megalo and Mikro, sits at the northwestern corner of Zagori under the limestone towers of Astraka, and it is built the way all these villages are: grey stone houses with slate roofs, cobbled lanes and stone walls, the whole thing the same colour as the mountain behind it. The Vikos gorge ends near here and the paths up onto the Tymfi massif start from the village.

What you actually see

• The Astraka towers - the limestone walls standing over the village.
• The stone building - houses, roofs and lanes all of the local slate.
• The two villages - Megalo and Mikro Papigo a short walk apart.
• The mountain paths - the routes up onto the Tymfi massif.

When to go

May to October is the walking season. Autumn colour in the beech is the best of it. Winter brings snow and some access difficulty.

Honest expectations

The road in is winding and slow. The village fills at weekends and in August, and beds book out. The walks from here are serious mountain routes, not strolls.

Nearby

Vikos Gorge is south, and the Zagori stone bridges are east.