This is Metsovo, Epirus's pride and joy.

Metsovo sits at 1,100m above sea level, in the heart of Epirus and the Pindos mountain range. It's an area that gets a lot of snow during the winter, which turns the wider area into a winter wonderland.

Metsovo was benefactor Evangelos Averoff's vision; his pursuit in making Metsovo the cultural and industrial centre of Epirus and the Zagori area turned into a lifelong dream, which took him decades to achieve. But he succeeded, with the aid of the Tosizzas, a family of nobles originating from Metsovo but with all family members scattered all over Europe. Averoff created the Averoff-Tosizza through which he built 103 schools all across Zagori, bridges, hospitals, the cheese making academy, developed the art of silver smithing in Ioannina, etc. It's safe to say that Metsovo would not be what it has to be today, if it weren't for Evangelos Averoff.
As for his personal vision, this included making Metsovo a wine-making powerhouse. Indeed, he started cultivating the Cabernet-Sauvignon grapes back in the late 1950's and turned them into wine in the cellar of his house. Today, this has all shaped into Katogi Averoff, one of the most recognizable wine brands in Greece. Katogi's vineyards are actually the most mountainous ones in all Greece, standing at altitudes over 1,000m.

Here's my list of recommendations for Metsovo:

• the Averoff Art Gallery, considered to be Greece's second most significant art gallery, behind the National Art Gallery in Athens

• Eat at "To Koutouki tou Nikola", find Vassilis and his wife Frosso (the owners) and say hi from me! You should absolutely try the traditional homemade pies, the wild boar, the "tsoubleki" pot (melted cheese, cooked beef, eggplants, red sauce), the chicken soup, the trahanas soup, as well as the homemade red wine.

• Eat the sweets and drink mountain tea at the cozy indoor space of Metsovorama, with its amazing view to the mountain

• Hang by the main square, where you will hear the elderly speaking the βλάχικα Vlach language, a language spoken by many in Pindos.

• Take a wine-tasting tour at Katogi Averoff winery and try the amazing wines of the area. Contact my good friend Maria Dimou, the wine expert and feel free to mention my name. She's the kindest person you'll meet and the best person for this job!

• Drive to the village of Anilio which is right opposite of Metsovo. Anilio stands for "a" meaning the lack of something, and "ilios" the Greek word for "sun". This village typically doesn't get much sunlight being where it is. However, it's a quaint little village with excellent food, such as Vatrahos and To Steki.

• Ski at Anilio Park, the area's most developed ski resort. Typically open from mid-December to end of March.

• Drive to Zagori and explore the villages of Zagori

• Explore the Aoos Springs Lake (Limni Pigon Aoou) which is a short drive away from Metsovo, in the north. The colours of the nature are great during fall, as the foliage turns red, orange and yellow. You might even encounter a wild brown bear!

• Metsovo is accessible through the Egnatia highway. The easiest way to get there is fly to Ioannina airport and then drive for about 40 minutes.