Cheeses of Metsovo and Epirus
A mountain town of the Aromanian Vlachs in Epirus, known for smoked Metsovone and the feta of the Pindus pastures.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: May to October; winter for snow.
Metsovo is a stone town high in the Pindus mountains of Epirus, on the old road between Ioannina and Thessaly. It is a centre of the Aromanian, or Vlach, shepherds who once moved huge flocks between the mountains and the plains. Epirus is one of the regions where feta is made, and Metsovo also makes Metsovone, a smoked pasta filata cheese.
Feta and Metsovone
Feta is a brined white cheese of sheep's milk, with up to thirty per cent goat's milk, made in set regions of Greece, of which Epirus is one. It is aged in brine for at least two months. Metsovone is a stretched cow's milk cheese, sometimes with sheep's milk, shaped into long rolls and smoked. A cheese dairy founded in the 1950s by the Averoff family revived it.
Metsovo and the Pindus
Metsovo has stone mansions, a museum of folk art, and a winery and an art gallery founded by the same benefactor family. Snow covers the town in winter and the pastures are green in summer. Ioannina, the capital of Epirus on its lake, is an hour away, and the gorges and stone villages of Zagori lie to the north-west.
A trail idea for Metsovo and Epirus
- Metsovo square The stone town and its cheese shops.
- Folk Art Museum A Vlach mansion with crafts and textiles.
- Ioannina The lakeside capital of Epirus.
- Zagori villages Stone villages and the Vikos gorge to the north-west.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Metsovo" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
Nothing matches those filters yet. Take one off, or check back: new cheeses are written every day.