Zitsa, Wine-producing village in Epirus region, Greece.
Zitsa sits at 680 meters altitude on the left bank of the Kalamas River, approximately 27 kilometers west of Ioannina, surrounded by vineyards and characterized by traditional stone architecture and narrow cobblestone streets.
Founded in the late Middle Ages around the 15th century, Zitsa was first mentioned in 1382 in the Chronicles of Ioannina and developed economically through viticulture and wine trade during the Ottoman period.
The village maintains its cultural identity through traditional grape harvesting festivals and wine production customs, with local wineries preserving centuries-old techniques for producing the renowned white Debina wine that defines the community.
Visitors can join traditional cooking classes including pie-making workshops held year-round, explore three local wineries for tastings, and access the village via local roads from Ioannina with postal code 440 03.
Zitsa hosts the world's only cultivation zone for Debina grapes, an endemic white grape variety that grows exclusively in this specific microclimate and cannot be successfully cultivated anywhere else on Earth.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
