Kastoria
Seventy-two: that is the number of Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches counted within the boundaries of the city of Kastoria alo...
Updated 10 July 2026
Kastoria
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The story
The story of Kastoria
A city built on water and fur
Kastoria stands on a promontory that stretches into Lake Orestiada, surrounded on three sides by water and linked to the mainland by a narrow isthmus: a position that made it for centuries a defensible outpost and an inland trading port. From the Middle Ages the city developed a unique specialization in fur processing, recovering the scraps and offcuts of imported furs to turn them, with extremely refined sewing techniques, into prized garments exported throughout Europe and to Russia. This commercial vocation, which survived into the contemporary era albeit on a smaller scale, shaped the town planning, the architecture and even the cultural tenor of the city, making it one of the most prosperous in Ottoman Macedonia.
History: from Byzantium to incorporation into modern Greece
Already mentioned in Byzantine times as an important fortified center, Kastoria went through centuries of turbulent history under Bulgarian, Norman and finally Ottoman rule, which began in the 15th century and lasted until 1912-1913, when the city was liberated during the Balkan Wars and annexed to the Kingdom of Greece. Under Ottoman rule the local Christian community retained considerable economic autonomy precisely thanks to the fur trade, which allowed the construction of dozens of churches even in periods of greater religious restriction: a circumstance that explains the exceptional concentration of sacred buildings that have survived to this day.
The Byzantine churches: an open-air museum
Kastoria's most distinctive feature is its collection of medieval churches, more than seventy of them, built between the 10th and 19th centuries and often hidden among the houses of the historic quarters. The Panagia Koumbelidiki, recognizable for its unusual tall, multi-tiered dome, is among the most photographed; the church of Agioi Anargyroi preserves 11th-century frescoes among the oldest in the city; that of the Taxiarches tis Mitropoleos holds pictorial cycles that tell of centuries of local aristocratic patronage. Visiting them in sequence, often with keys kept by residents of the quarter, is the most authentic way to understand the city's historical stratification.
The archontika, the houses of the fur merchants
In the Doltso and Apozari quarters, once inhabited by the wealthiest families, stand the archontika in rows, stately homes of the 18th and 19th centuries built with the profits of the fur trade: stone facades, wooden overhangs, interiors with carved and painted ceilings, halls heated by large fireplaces of carved stone. Some, such as the Nerantzis-Aivazis house or the Basara house, are today museums that allow visitors to see kitchens, bedrooms and reception halls furnished in period style, faithfully conveying the lifestyle of a cosmopolitan and refined merchant bourgeoisie, closer in taste to European courts than to the rest of the Greek province.
Lake Orestiada and its pelicans
The lake that embraces the city, shallow and rich in reed beds along its less urbanized shores, is a living ecosystem: it hosts colonies of Dalmatian pelicans, grey herons, cormorants and, in the winter months, flocks of migratory birds resting along the Balkan routes. A pedestrian and cycling path follows almost its entire perimeter, offering different views of the city at every turn: it is especially striking at dawn, when the surface of the water is still and the domes of the churches are mirrored upside down.
The Dragon's Cave
Discovered almost by chance only in 1940, the Cave of the Dragon opens on the slope of the city's promontory and holds a system of seven connected chambers, some with underground pools that communicate with the level of the lake above. Equipped pathways allow visitors to admire limestone concretions and stalactites among the most notable in northern Greece: the legendary name, linked to a dragon that popular tradition says once lived there, adds a touch of folklore to a visit that is already spectacular from a geological point of view.
Dispilio, the neolithic village on the lake
On the southern shore of the lake, the excavations at Dispilio have brought to light the remains of a neolithic pile-dwelling settlement dating back around seven thousand years, among the oldest and best preserved in Europe thanks to the lake sedimentation that preserved its organic materials. The site, made even more famous by the discovery of the so-called “Dispilio tablet”, inscribed with signs whose nature as proto-writing is still debated among scholars, today offers a demonstrative reconstruction of the pile dwellings, with educational workshops that tell of daily life seven thousand years ago.
The Ragoutsaria carnival
Between January 6th and 8th, while the rest of Greece celebrates Epiphany in a more sober way, Kastoria is transformed by the Ragoutsaria: a carnival with very ancient roots, linked according to tradition to pre-Christian Dionysian rites, in which brass bands parade through the city streets accompanied by masked figures, cowbells and collective dances. It is one of the most authentic and least touristy folk events in northern Greece, capable of filling with color and music a city that otherwise remains silent in the winter months.
Flavors of the lake and the mountains
Kastoria's cuisine combines lake dishes, such as freshwater fish grilled or stewed, with a tradition of grilled meat typical of mountain areas: lamb, pork and local sausages accompany aged cheeses and beans, while in the cold months tsipouro is never missing, the artisanally distilled grape-pomace brandy, often offered as a welcome in the taverns of the historic center together with small tasting plates.
When to go
Kastoria offers different atmospheres depending on the season: winter, with the lake often wrapped in morning mist and the Ragoutsaria carnival in early January, has an almost Nordic charm; spring and autumn offer the best conditions for walks along the lakefront and visits to the churches, with mild temperatures and intense colors; summer is pleasant but less spectacular, with the lake level dropping slightly and warmer days in town.
- Walk or cycle the entire lakefront path of Lake Orestiada
- Visit at least three or four Byzantine churches in the Doltso and Apozari quarters
- Step inside a historic archontikon such as the Nerantzis-Aivazis house
- Explore the underground chambers of the Dragon's Cave
- Discover the reconstructed pile dwellings of the Dispilio neolithic village
- Attend the Ragoutsaria carnival between January 6th and 8th, if your dates coincide
FAQ
Quanto tempo serve per visitare Kastoria?
Come si arriva a Kastoria?
Dove si parcheggia in centro?
Le chiese bizantine sono sempre aperte?
È una meta adatta a un weekend con bambini?
Si può vedere Kastoria in giornata da Salonicco?
Getting there
- Aeroporto di Kastoria "Aristotelis" (KSO), a circa 10 minuti dal centro città, con voli soprattutto verso Atene
- Aeroporto di Salonicco "Macedonia" (SKG), circa 2 ore e mezza di auto
- Kastoria è collegata alla Egnatia Odos, l'autostrada che attraversa la Grecia settentrionale da ovest a est, con uscita dedicata che porta rapidamente al centro città.
- L'aeroporto locale ha collegamenti limitati e non quotidiani: molti viaggiatori preferiscono arrivare a Salonicco e proseguire in auto a noleggio, opzione più flessibile per esplorare anche i dintorni.
Perfect for
Oltre settanta chiese bizantine e post-bizantine tra le vie del centro storico.
Gli archontika, le dimore dei mercanti di pellicce dei secoli XVIII-XIX.
Il lago di Orestiada con i suoi pellicani e la grotta del Drago.
Il villaggio neolitico su palafitte di Dispilio, tra i più antichi d'Europa.
Il carnevale Ragoutsaria, uno dei riti popolari più autentici della Grecia del nord.
To see
What to see in Kastoria
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