Pigi

A mountain village within the boundaries of the National Park of Pindos and at an altitude of 750m is Pigi. It is located on the Western slopes of Mount Smolikas, inside the valley of “Topolitsa” mountain stream. It is 69 km north of Ioannina and 7 km away from Konitsa.

It is surrounded by dense pine forest. It has many springs with running water and they are the reason for the name of the village (pigi= spring water source). Oral tradition states that its original name was “Ebekler” while during the Turkish occupation it was also referred to as Peklari. On September 20 of the year 1955, it was renamed to Pigi.

The village is divided into 4 smaller settlements (neighborhoods): Pano (Upper), Kato (Lower) settlement, Mantzaioi and Spanaioi. The churches of the village are interesting. The church of Agios Georgios (1819) stands out with remarkable hagiographies and an iconostasis of “Chionadites” painters. It is also worth visiting the churches of Agios Panteleimon in Pano (upper) settlement and Agia Paraskevi in Kato (lower) settlement.

A masterpiece of the village and worth visiting is the bridge of the village which was built in 1903 by the master builder Mitros Gortsos from Pirsogianni village. Until today, it stands unchanged and next to it there is the church of Agios Nikolaos. The church is in a beautiful location among green plane trees and cold running waters.

A two day festival is held annually to honor the Saints of the village, Agia Paraskevi and Agios Panteleimon on the 26-27th of July. Guests can spend the night in the village and taste traditional dishes in the tavern and cafe of the village.