Surrounded by Mountains
The route covers a total of 226 kilometers and takes about 4 hours by car or motorcycle, without stops. Visitors may complete the entire journey, travel part of it, or split it across days. It is recommended year-round and is ideal for those interested in local cuisine and gastronomy, regional culture, natural landscapes, and outdoor activities such as hiking, mountaineering, cycling, wandering, and wildlife observation.
In Grevena, this four-hour mountain odyssey unfolds like pages from the earth’s own book—written millions of years ago and imprinted forever in the UNESCO Geopark of Grevena-Kozani. It is worth walking some of its trails to admire firsthand the majesty of nature and time.
At Mikrovalto, the strange stone formations known as Boucharia and Nochtaria rise like sculptures, creations of the eternal struggle of earth’s forces. Deskati and Mount Vounasa recall the ancient Tethys Ocean, the mother of waters. In Paliouria, the multicolored rocks of the “rainbow” resemble an artist’s palette shaped over thousands of years. Along the Venetiko River, the stone bridges of Spanós and Aziz Aga stand proudly, while the recreation areas of Eleftherochori offer shade and relaxation by the banks of the Aliakmon River.
At Mikrolivado, the “Pierced Rock” guards the entrance to Valia Kalda National Park, while at Milia and its museum, the world’s longest mammoth tusks recall a time lost in prehistory. The journey concludes in Tsotyli, a charming town and gateway to the famed mastorochoria of Voio, home of the master stonemasons whose skill created the single- and multi-arched stone bridges of Pindus that still inspire awe today.
If landscapes tell stories of ages past, the flavors speak the honest language of place. In the local tavernas, look for pork or wild boar with leeks, hare with batzos cheese fried in batter, and pies filled with onion, nettle, trahana, or cheese. Salaria, sweet pastries stuffed with walnuts and spices, and soutzoukia, grape must rolls with walnuts, bring autumn colors to memory.
The renowned Anevato cheese of Grevena proudly stands beside feta, kasseri, manouri, batzos, and kefalograviera. Local wines pair beautifully with every dish, while wild mushrooms, mountain tea and linden from Vounasa, trahana, ourda cheese, and local game complete the area’s gastronomic mosaic.
On this route, the landscape rewards the traveler, and when you sit at the table of a local taverna, taste and place become one: unique, authentic, and unpretentious. So too is the hospitality—choose to stay at a guesthouse or small hotel in Deskati, Mikrolivado, Tsotyli, or the town of Grevena, and you will want to return again and again.
Route Products
PDO Products: Anevato cheese of Grevena, Batzos cheese, Feta cheese, Kasseri cheese, Manouri cheese, Kefalograviera of Western Macedonia
PGI Products: Wines of Grevena, Wines of Macedonia
Specialties: Mountain tea, Vounasa linden, Wild mushrooms, Trahana, Ourda cheese, Local game, Leeks
Route Delicacies
Wild Boar with Leeks: A dish brimming with mountain aromas, ideal for those who love bold flavors. The meat is marinated in red wine with onion, sautéed with leeks, and seasoned with paprika and hot pepper, giving a deep fragrance and rich taste. Slowly simmered until tender, the sauce thickens beautifully. Served with crusty bread and local Grevena wine.
Praso-Tigania (Pork with Leeks): A spicy winter meze. Pork, marinated with spices and dusted with flour, is browned before being cooked with onion, garlic, leeks, hot pepper, and a touch of honey for sweet-and-sour balance. Deglazed with wine, it becomes a dish of poetry—perfect with red wine and good company.
Salaria: Aromatic, crescent-shaped pastries, crisp and lightly sweet, traditionally served during festivities. Made with olive oil, ash water (kastalia), tsipouro, and vanilla for a soft yet light dough, filled with walnuts spiced with cinnamon and clove. Baked until golden, then dipped in light syrup and dusted with icing sugar and vanilla, they emerge snow-white, fragrant, and irresistible.