Climb the incredible 1,100-step stairway in magical Zagori!

Epirus is like a fantasy land

Vradeto, the highest village in the Zagorohoria region, is known for its one-of-a-kind stone path that used to be the only way to the village. Also known as “Zagori’s Balcony”, at an altitude of 1,340m, located on the north-western slope of Mount Tymfi, a stone’s throw from the Vikos gorge, Vradeto is famous for its strange stone stairway, the Skala of Vradeto. Built on a rocky slope of varying altitudes and steep gradients, this stairway consists of 1,100 small steps that lead to Kapesovo.

This stairway, a winding stone structure with black and white rocks creating three different lanes is a creative solution provided by the builders of this intricate and complicated construction to manage traffic between people and animals in this uneven, rough area, since this was the only way from the village to the surrounding areas, beyond the mountains.

For centuries, the village’s hard-to-reach location has made it impossible to open a road to facilitate the
transportation of people and goods any other way. In fact, up until the early 1970s the Skala path was the only way in and out of the village. The new road, that bypasses the gorge, was built in 1974, and, almost instantly, the meandering Skala and the two bridges, Pera and Dothe, that go over the Mezaria ravine fell into disuse.

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