Kalarrytes is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful villages in Greece, where the architecture of the continental style and the rich nature dominate.
At an altitude of 1,120 meters, on the slopes of Tzoumerka, Kalarrytes challenges you to discover it, but the route is not easy.
It is a little over 80 kilometres from Arta and the road is narrow and winding, but once you arrive you will be compensated.
Don’t forget to stop at the impressive Kipina Monastery, which is perched on a rock above your road!
Cobbled streets with stone-built houses full of flowerbeds, flowers and colours.
Kalarrites may be across the road from Syrrako, as in a straight line the two villages are about 1km apart, but in reality the road is winding for 23km to get from one village to the other and you need about 40-50 minutes.
Kalarrytes: A village full of history
Kalarrytes is the birthplace of silversmiths and merchants who excelled in various European countries in the 18th and 19th centuries, and you’ll find the Golfinopoulos house there, which serves as a museum.
The settlement is one of the five villages that belong to Vlachochoria, along with Syrrako, Matsouki, Vathipedo and Paleochori.
The Slavic raids on the lowlands in the 7th century made the citizens go to stay in inaccessible places, such as the villages in Tzoumerka, in order to be safe.
The endless pastures provided them with everything they needed for their animals and the difficult location protected them from bandits.
After the subjugation of Ioannina to the Ottomans in 1430, the Kalarritans preferred to declare allegiance to the Valide Sultana, the mother of the Sultan in 1478, so that they could secure privileges such as independence, religious tolerance, etc., as long as they paid their taxes.
The Kalarrytes experienced unprecedented devastation, since on the eve of 1821 they numbered about 500 families and the 1831 census shows only 26 of them.
In 1881, Kalarrytes was liberated from the Turks along with the prefecture of Arta.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the village had a large population. After the liberation of Epirus from the Ottomans in 1913 and even more so during the 1950s and 1960s, the village was left with few inhabitants, as most of them sought a better life in big cities.
Kalarrytes today
Today Kalarrites is a beautiful village full of life – in comparison to the rest of the village. The permanent residents are mainly retired people, but in spring and summer the village is filled with locals (who live in Ioannina in winter) and tourists.
The inhabitants live mainly from tourism and livestock farming.
The central square of the village is the heart of the community. It is dominated by a large plane tree, amphitheatre steps and shops for coffee, chatting and eating.
What struck me was that the elderly people sitting in the village square still spoke the Vlach language, which unfortunately has not been passed on to the young children and will be lost with the passage of time.
In the square you will also find the folklore collection “Angela Chr. Golfinopoulou”.
After the tour of the old mansion you will sit in the restaurant “O Baros” to taste traditional dishes such as pies, local cheeses, giants with lapata, galotyri and handmade sweets.
