Apeiros Chora The Land Without End

A 17th-century manor house. A family for generations. And a valley that leaves you breathless with awe.

“Coming back at dusk after the gorge, cold and tired, to a fire already lit and the whole village gone completely quiet. I sat outside with a tsipouro and watched the Pindus turn from gold to violet, with no sound except water somewhere far below.”

— Dimitris, Guest

The Place

Zagori lies in northwestern Greece, where the Pindus mountain range shows its steepest faces. Around 46 stone villages are connected by kalderimi paths — hand-laid stone slabs that have linked villages, mountain passes, and trading posts for centuries — and by arched bridges built from dry-set stone without a drop of mortar. Arriving here, you sense it immediately: this is real. A landscape people built a thousand years ago, and that shaped them in return.

The Ottoman Empire once overlooked this region — and that is precisely what has preserved it so well. Since 2023, the Zagori Cultural Landscape has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The world is only slowly turning its gaze here. It’s worth coming early.

At the heart of it all: the Vikos Gorge — deeper than the Grand Canyon relative to its width. The Voidomatis River flows along its floor, one of Europe’s clearest rivers. The water is so transparent you forget how cold it will be until the moment you step in.

The Manor

Kato Pedina sits at 950 meters, above a valley under European nature protection — 4,000 hectares of mountain wilderness where no one may build. Apeiros Chora — the name means “The Land Without End” — is an aristocratic estate from the late 17th century. Several individually designed suites; each has its own color palette, its own furniture, its own quiet.

Stepping inside, you find a small labyrinth. A sequence of lounges, reading nooks, terraces, and hidden corners — guests discover new spaces even on their last evening. Apeiros Chora was never built as a hotel. A warm place to fall into conversation and feel the closeness of this wonderful setting.

“The house comes alive in the same way it was intended to for generations: as a place where people gather, talk, laugh, and spend time together.”

— Xenofon Kontouris, Host

The People

The manor belongs to the Kontouris family — rooted in this valley since the late 17th century. What Xenofon Kontouris runs today is not a hotel. It is a family home that welcomes guests.

His mother, Athina Aslanidou, an interior architect, oversaw the restoration. The hardest thing to preserve: the original handmade plasterwork. Time had taken its toll. Athina recreated it — with the same materials, but different hands.

And then there are the windows. Two panes of glass in the salon carry a crack — from a shrapnel fragment dating to the Second World War, when the house served as a military headquarters. The family still keeps the fragment today. Its shape matches the crack in the glass exactly. Xenofon’s great-grandfather — already past seventy — walked seven to eight hours from Ioannina during the occupation, leading a mule to bring food up to the family. The windows have stayed.

“I arrived expecting design, and found memory.”

The Experience

Mornings: bread Athina has baked herself, jams, and pies filled with wild mountain herbs. The scent from the kitchen — the family calls it the Mageireio — drifts through the stone corridors before you open your eyes. A uniquely warm, unhurried atmosphere.

And then: the gorge. The Vikos Gorge can be walked year-round — the full crossing from Monodendri to Vikos village is twelve kilometers, taking six to eight hours. For those who prefer something quieter: the Beloi viewpoint, where the gorge opens beneath you like a wound in the limestone. Go early, at first light.

“Go early, before anyone else, while the mist is still in the bottom and the cliffs are just catching the sun — you don’t really photograph it, you feel how small you are.”

The Papingo rock pools — ice-cold, turquoise water that makes you want to jump straight in. The Vradeto stone steps. The arched bridges of Kalogeriko and Kokkori. For those with stamina: the ascent to Drakolimni, the Dragon Lake on Mount Tymfi, at 2,050 meters. Everywhere, ancient stone steps that have stood here for centuries.

On the way back, small stone villages with tavernas and regional food — filo pastry with mountain herbs, mushrooms, wild boar, and truffles. Whatever the land yields ends up on the plate. On request, Apeiros Chora arranges private truffle hunts for guests — three to four hours in the forest with trained dogs, followed by cooking together with what you have found.

The Silence

Xenofon’s advice: Do not plan too many activities. The most unforgettable moments come from the unexpected conversation, the hidden path — from simply slowing down.

Most mornings, mist settles in the valley below the village. It drifts gently between the hills; mountain peaks emerge above it like islands. In spring and autumn, you hear the call of the little owl — the Gkionis — at dusk and again at dawn. For the people of the village, it marks the turning of the seasons.

In the evening, you return. The fire is already burning. The village is still. The Pindus turns from gold to violet.

“So many lovely hotels could be anywhere. This one could only be here.”

The manor is built from the same stone as the bridges and the paths. Held by a family that never stopped.

Practical Information

Getting There

Ioannina Airport (IOA). Around 30 minutes by rental car to Kato Pedina. Connections from Zurich, Munich, Vienna and Frankfurt — usually via Athens or Thessaloniki. From Athens approx. 5 hours by car, from Thessaloniki approx. 3.5 hours.

When to Visit

October: Golden foliage, cool hiking days, no summer crowds. Spring (May / June) equally exceptional. Both seasons: low tourist pressure, full natural beauty.

Rates

From approx. €280 / night. Depending on suite and season. Breakfast always included. Direct booking recommended.

Book

 Gr Book directly with Xenofon and Athina. Also reachable by WhatsApp and phone.

Activities

Arranged by the house. Hiking, rafting, river trekking, kayaking, canyoning, mountain biking, private truffle hunts. Day trips to Meteora also possible.

Who Is It For

Hikers, couples, nature lovers. Activities range from gentle village walks to rafting, kayaking, and canyoning in whitewater. Anyone who wants to slow down — and feel something real.

A Note from the Curator

“I wasn’t there. But I know that scent — freshly baked bread working its way through old stone walls. You’re woken by breakfast, not by an alarm.”

What moves me most about Apeiros Chora is the depth of its roots. A manor house, a family, a gorge that makes you feel small when you stand at the bottom — and immense when you look down from above. Zagori has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023, yet it remains barely known. This article is based on interviews with Xenofon and Athina Kontouris and accounts from guests. The view is my own.

All photographs courtesy of Apeiros Chora and Dimitris Stathop.