During the Holidays the city of kastoria is at its best. Perhaps is the only city in Greece where Christmas colors are so much suited to its urban environment…. Snowy slopes, the snowy roofs of its mansions, the gray color of the ice in the sky and to the lake, the Christmas lights in the trees surrounding the lake, all together combined with the green color of the forests around, bring to your eyes the absolute combination of Christmas.

Glowing, white and green. Traditions and feasts, like everywhere in Greek, here though a little more fraudulent than 15 years ago. The great Christmas traditions, the carols on the streets, the Ragousaria Carnival, the street music bands that begin playing strolling around the neighborhoods right after the New Year’s Day. And above all the festive local gastronomy. The city’s economic prosperity is present in the contemporary macedonian cuisine of the city. Plates with dolmades, an honorary Christmas dish, cabbage in the brine, with its stuffed leaves, serviced with granulated pepper and egg-lemon sauce or red pepper, make Kastoria a unique place to be at Christmas.

Getting to know the festive Kastoria is a revelation, but with its lake, it’s a magic…. perhaps the only such “Christmas” town in Greece.

The post Christmas in Kastoria appeared first on Vitsi Lodge - Villa & Loft.

The post Ragoutsaria. A Carnival in the City appeared first on Vitsi Lodge - Villa & Loft.