While vacationing in Ioannina, you will have many opportunities to watch remarkable theatrical performances.

Ioannina is the seat of the Municipal and Regional Theatre that organizes high quality performances all year round. More information concerning the Municipal and Regional Theatre of Ioannina can be found in www.dipetheioannina.eu and the number 26510 25670.

Ioannina have several theaters and multiplexes hosting shows such as:

• The outdoor Frontzou theater
• The "Kampereio " theater of the namesake foundation, with a capacity of 200 seats, which hosts the Municipal and Regional Theatre of Ioannina
• The cultural multiplex "Dimitris Hatzis"

Lately, in Ioannina, a street performance festival takes place, the "Ioannina Street Theater Festival". For three days in late August, the city streets are flooded with theater, puppetry and other spectacular events such as clowns, acrobats, magicians and jugglers. Information can be found in www.streetheater.gr.

Theatrical performances and events are also presented in other selected locations in the entire region of Ioannina, especially during the summer months.

Evangelos Averof Gallery is in Metsovo, in the region of Ioannina.

The Gallery is a true gem of art, hidden in the luscious mountains of Epirus.

Evangelos Averof Gallery operates since 1988 in a building donated by its founder, the politician and writer Evangelos Averof (1910-1990). Averof had a vision and aimed to create a high-level gallery in Metsovo, his hometown. The result today totally vindicates his expectations. The most exhibits of the gallery come from his personal collection.

While in the permanent collection of the gallery, representative works by leading Greek painters, printmakers and sculptors are included. In its halls, the visitor can admire works of Gyzis, Lytras, Hadjikyriakos-Gikas, Partenis, Iakovidis, Moralis, Tetsis and many others.

Evangelos Averof Gallery operates as a center of art and culture, hosting temporary exhibitions from other museums and organizing individual or group art exhibitions. The gallery features children's workshop, library, screening room and gift shop.

More information concerning the Evangelos Averof Gallery can be found in www.averoffmuseum.gr and the number 26560 41210.

Those who love the visual arts will be more than satisfied by selecting Ioannina for vacations.

The artistic ride starts from the Municipal Gallery of Ioannina. The gallery is housed in the very beautifully restored "Pyrsinella" mansion. Inside the building, more than 500 works by Greek artists are exposed, while temporary exhibitions are also hosted.

Following on, we have the building of the Company of Research in Epirus and its Art Gallery. Here you will find notable works, mainly by Epirus' artists. Interesting exhibitions of different kinds of art are also hosted by:

• The cultural multiplex "Dimitris Hatzis'
• The cultural center of Ioannina
• The gallery "Technohoros" (www.technohoros.eu)

And other selected locations throughout the area that love and promote the arts.

We kept the best for the end... In Metsovo you will find the Evangelos Averof Gallery, which a perfect choice during your "art walk" in the region Ioannina.

Information on visual arts events held in Ioannina can be found in the cultural department of the Municipality of Ioannina, phone 26510 26356.

If you are into live music, vacations in Ioannina will be heaven on earth.

The entire region of Ioannina, with great focus on its capital, has intense musical activity. Excellent Greek and foreign artists from all music genres present their work in selected areas in the region, such as:

• The outdoor Frontzou theater
• The cultural multiplex "Dimitris Hatzis'
• The musical stage multiplex Agora
• The cultural center of Ioannina
• The cultural center of the Company of Research in Epirus (www.ehm.gr)
• The Factory of Sound (www.factoryofsoundioannina.gr )

During the summer, tons of concerts and musical events are held at several locations throughout Ioannina and the wider region of Epirus. The musical events hosted in the Castle of Ioannina are of unique beauty. The sound combined with the breathtaking scenery, offer visitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience to remember for years and years to come.

Information on musical events held in Ioannina can be found in the cultural department of the Municipality of Ioannina, phone 26510 26356.

River Arachtos, between the county of Ioannina and Arta, is crowned by the bridge of Plaka.

Plaka Bridge is stone and arched, having only one arch with 40 meters length and a maximum height of 19 meters. Based on these characteristics, it is considered to be the largest of its kind not only in Greece but throughout the Balkans.

A bridge in this exact location had started to be built in 1863, yet it collapsed in its inauguration day. The current bridge was built in 1866, with donations and labor from local residents. According to local legends, in order to make the bridge stable and avoid another collapse, the people decided to bury in the foundations a human; some say a Turk and others a local girl. In 1881, when Arachthos became the border between Greece and Turkey, a customhouse operated next to the bridge on the Greek side.

Plaka Bridge is maintained in very good condition today, drawing the attention of each visitor.

The Castle of Ioannina is inIoannina, on the western shore of Pamvotida lake.

It was built in 528 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Justinian, under the fortification program of the Byzantine territory. The Castle of Ioannina expands over the years, but during the Turkish occupation seems to be almost ruined and deserted. At the end of 18th century, the famous Ali Pasha assumes administration of the city, rebuilt the walls and interiors of the castle.
Inside the castle of Ioannina, the two acropolis stand out: the southeast or otherwise Its Kale and the northeast or Aslan Pasha.

In the northeastern acropolis there is the mosque of Aslan Pasha, with a breathtaking view of the lake and the city of Ioannina. The mosque was built upon the ruins of a Christian church and today houses the Municipal Museum of Ioannina. Three more buildings from the Ottoman era have been found in the wider area: a Turkish bath, a library and the Soufari-serai.

In the southeast acropolis stood the majestic seraglio of Ali Pasha, which was completely destroyed in 1870 by fire. In its place, the building that now houses the Byzantine Museum of Ioannina was built. At the acropolis' highest point, you will find the Fethiye Mosque and next to it the grave of the legendary Ali Pasha that contained only his body, as his head had been sent to the Sultan. Also, here can be found the sole ruins of the medieval castle, the so-called Tower of Bohemond.

Anyone visiting Ioannina must visit the castle of Ioannina too. The unique character of the buildings, the interesting museums and the wonderful views, deserve every minute spent there.

River Voidomatis is in Ioannina.

Voidomatis originates from the village of Vikos and after crossing the Vikos gorge ends at Aoos river. It is considered to be one of the cleanest rivers in Greece, as it is inside the national park.

Vouraikos' river morphology, spectacular natural beauty and arched stone bridges, make him one of the most favorite destinations for rafting and canoeing.

North of the city of Ioannina, in Zagori, you will meet that National Park of Vikos-Aoos.

Established in 1973, it embraces the area from the Vikos Gorge up to Aoos River, including mount Tymphi. It is one of the ten national parks in Greece that have as common feature the very high peaks, with tallest the Gamila at 2497 meters. An impressive "drakolimni" (dragon lake) is located near Gamila, at an altitude of 2050 m.

The famous Vikos gorge is a strictly protected area, in the core of the park. This gorge has 12 km length and its width varies from 100 to 1 000 m, while at several point its depth exceeds the 1 000 m.

Indeed, based on the relation between width-depth, the Vikos gorge has been recorded in the Guinness Book as the deepest in the world. Although some question this title, it is a fact that the Vikos Gorge is an area of unique beauty and a favorite destination for hiking, attracting visitors from all around the world.

Within the park's boundaries we have four of the most famous villages of Zagorohoria: Mikro and Megalo Papigo, Monodendri and Vikos.

The National Park of Vikos - Aoos is also noted for its rich flora. More than 1,700 kinds of plants have been recorded here, among which some that can only be found in this area. The National Park is a house to more than 130 species of birds and at least 20 species of mammals.

The area of ​​the park, apart from mountaineering, hiking and climbing, is also recommended for many other activities such as canoeing, rafting, horse riding and paragliding. Choose your poison and go for it in one of the most magnificent areas in Greece, the National Park of Vikos - Aoos.

The Pindus National Park, better known as Valia Calda, is in the regions of Ioannina and Grevena.

It spreads in an area of 69 000 acres, including the valley of Valia Calda and Arkouderma, as well as the mountains Mavrovouni and Ligos.

The National Park has an elevation of 1400 m and is surrounded by mountains exceeding the height of two thousand meters. It has a rich flora with amazing, dense forests of beech and pine trees. Valia Calda (meaning "warm valley"in the Vlach dialect) is one of the last habitats of the brown bear and wolf, while hosting over 80 species of birds and being a sanctuary for wild animals.

Due to the impressive landscape, Valia Calda receives thousands of visitors annually, being a top destination for hiking and mountaineering. In Mavrovouni(=Black Mountain)and Vovousa, one can find two mountain refuges, ready to accommodate those who want to spend a night in Pindus National Park.

The National Park of Pindus crosses Arkoudorema; a tributary of Aoos River and one of the natural attractions of the area. Another impressive sight are the renown "drakolimnes" (=dragon lakes), which are two natural lakes at an altitude of 1960 m that have water all year long.

If you love nature, you are sure to fall in love with Valia Calda at first sight.

The Perama Cave is just 4 km from Ioannina.

Thanks to its impressive beauty and the 19 kinds of stalactites and stalagmites it contains, it is a very important tourist destination.

Perama Cave was actually discovered in 1940 by residents of the area, when they were searching for shelter to protect them from the bombings during the war. Access to the cave's interior was difficult and so it remained unexplored until 1951, when the leading Greek caver Ioannis Petrochilos was informed of the cave's existence. He was the first to see its breathtaking interior and he immediately dealt with the systematic exploration and mapping of the cave.

The Perama Cave is a section of an underground river bed that was drilled very long ago. The tourst path inside the cave has 110 m llength, crossing 10 small and big halls of unimaginable beauty. The cave has unique formations of stalactites and stalagmites, which resemble ornate statues painted by nature. The imagination and the artistic look of Ioannis and Anna Petrochilou, who first explored the cave, have given names to them as "statues". So, in the cave we find the stone cypress, the tower of Pisa, Santa Claus, the sphinx of Egypt and lots of other breathtaking natural artworks.

It is worth noting that few years after the initial exploration of the cave, scenes from the Greek film "Astero"(=Star) were filmed in the cave, starring the most famous Greek actress, Aliki Vouyiouklaki.

More information concerning the Perama Cave can be found in www.spilaio-perama.gr and the number 26510 81521.