From Epirus to Crete, we journey to villages - ghost villages that were abandoned and have lain desolate for many years. Each of them has its own story to tell us
Deserted stone alleys, churches swallowed by dense greenery, half-collapsed houses, landscapes eerie yet enchanting. Some of these villages were abandoned due to natural disasters, while others were left to decay and empty out when their residents moved away. A visit to these places is an experience unlike any other.
Did you know there’s a village that was abandoned over a... goat bell? Where is the ruined village modeled on the forest villages of the Italian Alps? Let’s discover someabandoned - and unknown to most -"ghost villages" across Greece.
Old Plagia, Aetolia-Acarnania
The old village of Plagia lies opposite Lefkada, in Aetolia-Acarnania, on the northwestern side of Xeromero, about 25 km. from Vonitsa. The scene that greets visitors is made up of half-collapsed stone houses, two old churches, and the central fountain—remnants of another era that bear witness to a village that once pulsed with life. The village was abandoned after the 1966 earthquake and the landslides. The quake measured 5.8 Richter and struck the area on October 29. The residents of Plagia relocated to the new village, Nea Plagia. The natural setting is especially beautiful, particularly in spring. Kermes oaks, little oaks, fig trees, and many almond trees are scattered among the ruins. West of the village, on a northwestern slope of Mount Sternas, lies the ruined Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos, while on its summit is the archaeological site of Sternas.
Old Sagiada, Thesprotia
Sagiada is a picturesque and peaceful fishing village of Thesprotia, at the westernmost point of mainland Greece. The old, ruined village, built on the mountainside, was burned by the Germans in 1943. Despite its abandonment, visitors will find noteworthy examples of traditional architecture. Cobbledlanesadorn the village, which is made up of many oldmansionsand lead to themain squarewhere there is an oldfountaincalled "Piadi" and the picturesque church of St. George. From here, the view toward Sagiada is superb. You can reach the old village by car up to a point, and from there hiking is recommended.
Gavros, Kastoria
In Western Macedonia, a few kilometers north of the city of Kastoria, lie the Korestia, or "mudbrick villages", a historic cluster of villages that present exceptional architectural and cultural interest thanks to their mudbrick-built houses with their characteristic red color. These houses were built by master craftsmen in the first half of the last century with mud from red earth, water, and straw. Today, most of the villages are abandoned and half-collapsed.Gavros is one of these villages, found along the road that connects Kastoria with Prespes. Time-forgotten, deep-red ruins, encircled by endless beech forests, compose a unique cinematic landscape. The village took its name from the tree of the same name in the forests of Sarakina (even earlier it was called Gavresi). Gavros was deserted after the end of the Civil War, with its inhabitants emigrating to Canada and Australia. Those who remained were forced to abandon it and move to the new village of Korestia.
Zerma, Ioannina
The Mastorochoria,a group of mountain settlements at the northeastern edge of the regional unit of Ioannina, between Grammos and Smolikas, are the homeland of renowned stone masons who traveled the world leaving behind stone masterpieces.Some villages are inhabited to this day and are outstandingexamples of architecture,while others have been abandoned. One of the ruined settlements of the area is the village ofZerma, which is built on a steep slope. Its residents abandoned it in the late 1970s after dangerous landslides occurred in the area and relocated to the opposite slope, where they created New Zerma, called Plagia. The scars of the landslides are visible to this day, with huge boulders torn from the mountain and wedged into the gullies around the village.
Eleousa, Rhodes
Near the village of Eleousa on Rhodes, on the lush foothills of Mount Profitis Ilias, you will encounter a ghost village. It was built by the Italians (Campochiaro was its original name) and they settled lumberjacks there from Northern Italy. It stands at an elevation of 270 meters and was built on the model of the forest villages of the Italian Alps. When the Italians left in 1947, the village was abandoned. In the village, which today is called Agia Eleousa, you will see imposing abandoned buildings. The largest, with its arches and small curved balconies, was the market. A few meters past the square, there is a large round water cistern where the gizani survives, a small freshwater fish that lives only on Rhodes and is threatened with extinction.
Aradena of Sfakia, Chania
Three kilometers west of the village of Anopoli in Sfakia of Crete, lies the abandoned village of Aradena.In the 1950s, the village emptied, with residents leaving for other parts of Crete, especially Sfakia. As for the reason for its abandonment, the best-known story has to do with a goats bell and a... vendetta! According to this story, a little boy who lived in the village found a goats bell and refused to give it back to its owner. The owner then went to the boys house to ask for it, and word by word, things escalated. It is said this vendetta left seven dead, and afterwards the villagers left to prevent the bloodshed from continuing. Today it could be described as a ghost village. Many tourists visit to cross the namesake gorge and to go bungee jumping from the bridge just before the village.
Kalami, Heraklion
About 80 kilometers east of Heraklion, near Ano Viannos, amid a very beautiful landscape with dense vegetation, there is an abandoned village where you can see ruined houses with open doors and windows, personal belongings on the floors, plates and glasses still in their cupboards. As if its residents left overnight! This is the village of Kalami, which a few decades ago was brimming with life. Kalami had around 600 inhabitants before depopulation began in the mid-1970s, when its residents gradually moved down to the southern coast in search of a better life.
