Kastoria, Greece
|
Kastoria, Greece
|
|
Capital of Greece's fur trade, Kastoria is also one of the most beautiful towns in Macedonia, on the shores of beautiful lake Orestiada |
Kastoria, the capital of
the prefecture of the same name, is one of
Macedonia's most picturesque cities and is in fact
regarded by the Greeks as one of the most beautiful
towns in the country. Built on the an isthmus on the
shores of lovely lake Orestiada and surrounded
by mountains, it is a city of old
neighbourhoods, narrow lanes, stately mansions
and Byzantine churches. The city flourished, both
culturally and economically, during the Turkish
occupation, particularly in the 17th century and
afterwards when large numbers of Jewish furriers came
to the area because of the abundance of beavers.
Unfortunately the beaver population was wiped out in
the nineteenth century and the Jews not long after
that during the Nazi occupation. Since that time, the
people of Kastoria have dedicated themselves to
working with furs and embroidery. Even today, the city
boasts a large number of very profitable fur and
textile shops and factories and if you are one of
those people who believes he has a moral obligation to
protest the slaughter of animals for the garment
industry you will find yourself with plenty of targets
for your wrath because just about every street has a
business associated with the industry.
If you are one of
those people who thinks its a shame to kill
animals for coats but there are a lot worse things
to be pissed off about then you will find the area
interesting. If you are a person who regularly
wears fur coats and believes they signify class
and status, well, you are probably not reading
this and you would be happier in a fur shop in
Mykonos or Athens. But for those of us who fall
somewhere in the middle there are plenty of
interesting things to see in Kastoria with or
without the furs which are a fact of
life.
|
|
|
Lake Kastoria is
especially beautiful in autumn and spring, the
best seasons to get to know the town. At various
points round the lake you'll find restaurants,
tavernas, rotisseries, and cafes for gazing at the
lake and reflecting on what you've seen. There is
a 9 km road the follows the promontory and the
lake is home to frogs, turtles and a great many
spieces of birds.The road begins by the hospital
and passes the Moni Mavriotissas, the 11th century
church of Agia Maria and the 16th century Church
of Saint John the Theologian. There is also a free
campsite on the grounds of the Monastery. There
are hotels of every catagory and plenty of
reasonably priced restaurants.