As we finally reached the viewpoint of the Vikos Gorge, it was time for a much-deserved rest and ice cream. With a twinkle in his eye, our guide, Alex, declared: ‘When the West was discovering desserts, we in Greece were already diabetic.’ For many Brits , Greece has become the most popular way of accessing the Mediterranean pill: the slow, food-centred, sun basked lifestyle that feels like a necessary escape from the greyness of our home.
Island tourism has become such an important part of the Greek economy , with Santorini and Mykonos attracting a combined four million tourists every year. You’d be forgiven for thinking another Greece even exists. Which is why a trip to Zagori, in the north west of the country, appealed to me so much.
I needed to see another Greece. Something to challenge the island-hoping, party-focused isles that social media had shown me. Four hours drive from Thessaloniki airport into the heart of the Greek mountains, that actually make up the vast majority of the country, we began to leave the commercialised Greece behind.
Snow-capped mountaintops and miles upon miles of uninhabited forest wrapped all around the road. We passed into the mountainous region of Zagori (which translates in Slavic to ‘the place beyond the mountains’) before arriving in the tranquil village of Aristi. At Aristi Mountain Resort , our home for the next four days, the residencies are beautifully built in traditional Zagori stone from the mountain itself, with the insi.