Koresteia, the adobe villages
Do not neglect your visit to Koresteia for any reason. The so-called “adobe villages”, with their distinctive red-hued houses and unique architecture, create a truly cinematic setting you will not want to miss. It is no coincidence that Theodoros Angelopoulos filmed scenes from The Suspended Step of the Stork here, nor that television productions chose the area as the ideal location to bring the life of Saint Paisios back to the small screen. The landscape feels as if it has been frozen in time. The “adobe villages” of Kastoria were built using materials drawn directly from the land itself: earth, water, and straw. Adobe bricks made of mud and red soil, shaped by hand and dried in the sun, are combined with stone foundations and roofs of wood, reeds, and tiles. The houses face south, making the most of sunlight for warmth in winter while ensuring cool interiors in summer, while the north-facing walls are left without openings to protect inhabitants from the cold. It feels like witnessing an early form of bioclimatic architecture, born out of necessity and practical experience. Today, the villages stand silent and weathered, bearing visible traces of time and abandonment. Yet their eerie atmosphere and the reddish tones that emerge among the walnut trees are enough to leave you spellbound.
