Hotel Kastoria

Ragoutsaria I

by mardaska

Kastorians have maintained many of their local cultural traditions. One may see these elements alive during various events, organized by local organizations and associations. One of these events is the Local Carnival named "Kastoriana Ragoutsaria".

Ragoutsaria are known by this name only in Macedonia and Thessaly. The name origins from the Latin verb "rogo", that stands for: ask, require, and actually this is what people dressed as "ragoutsaria" used to do : they went from house to house, from village to village, dancing and singing, gathering money, wine and food which they would use in the evening at the feast.

They are clearly Dionysiac feasts, that are celebrated the same time of the year as the "Dionysia" were celebrated all over Greece.

Church of Hagios Nikolaos Kasnitzis ?

by JLBG

I feel this church might be the church of Hagios Nikolaos Kasnitzis. It is a small single-aisled church with 12th century wall-paintings. Unfortunately, as most of the 84 small Byzantine and post Byzantine churches in Kastoria it was locked and we could not visit the inside. If this was actually the church of Hagios Nikolaos Kasnitzis, it has inside scenes from the Gospels , a row of full-length figures of saints, scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas, whom the church honors, and representations of the donors, Nikephoros Kasnitzis and his wife Anna.

Churches

by siaki68

There are about 84 small Byzantine and after Byzantine churches in Kastoria. Many of then are built in the yards of the houses and are locked during the day. Don’t hesitate to knock and ask for the keys. Still, if you can’t decide which churches you must visit, the best way is to ask from the Byzantine Museum to give you information (and the keys), or even better, to arrange with someone of the stuff to escort you. The personnel of the museum are very polite and very willing to help the visitors.

picturesque Kastoria!

by elsadran

Some Greeks think Kastoria is the most beautiful city in Greece and it really is a lovely picture when you get the first view of it, coming from the national road. It is built amphitheatrically on the hills of a small promontory which projects into the picturesque Lake Orestiada. The reverse double of the city is reflected on the calm water.. This road offers an excellent opportunity for a pleasant evening stroll!
lake!

The city's architecture is interesting. There are many Byzantine churches, museums and traditional mansions built in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The fur business has thrived for a very long time but now, I hope, it is declining. However you can still see fur shops and workshops in the whole town.
Nevertheless this does not mar the picture a lot because Kastoria is indeed a beautiful city.The scenery is lovely and the sunset is a revelation!
Don't miss the local specialties like meat dishes, pies and delicious sweets!
For all kind of information get in the city's site www.kastoria.gr and click 'english'.

PS. The main reason why I made this page is to let you see the photos I took at this wonderful lake : ) there are some more in my Travelogue