We travel to Grevena to discover wonderful places that are home to the largest and most impressive stone bridges in Macedonia.
The Grevena area is endowed with rare beauty, and there are many points of interest for the visitor. There's no way you haven't heard of its countless stone bridges, which are the largest and most impressive in Macedonia.
True gems of folk architecture, intertwined with myths and local traditions, these bridges feel like extensions of nature as they harmonize with the landscape. Below we present some of the most beautiful bridges of Grevena that you can visit.
Portitsa Bridge
The Portitsa Bridge is located in the village of Spilaio in the Grevena regional unit and is 45 km from the capital of the same name. It's perhaps the region's most popular and beautiful bridge, set in a stunning landscape carved by a deep gorge. The two enormous rocks that rise like the Symplegades behind the bridge inspire awe, while the scene is completed by the emerald waters of the Venetikos River. Its construction is estimated to date to 1743 and, according to sources, it was built with donations from the Monastery of Spilaio. It is a two-arched bridge with the span of the large arch reaching 13.80 meters and the smaller 5 meters. From the village of Spilaio, a path roughly 2 km long leads to Portitsa Bridge. Alternatively, you can drive the road that starts to the west of the village (it's initially unpaved, while the rest of the route is paved).
Aziz Aga Bridge
Near the village of Trikomo, the imposing three-arched Aziz Aga Bridge stands. This impressive stone structure spanning the Venetikos River features the largest arch span among Macedonia's surviving bridges, at 15 meters, and a total length of 70 meters. It was built during Ottoman rule in 1727 -after countless hardships- and was funded by Aziz Aga.
Ziakas Bridge
The Ziakas Bridge, next to the new bridge that leads to the village of the same name, was built in the late 19th century over the Velonia River, a tributary of the Venetikos. The bridge is easily accessible. It has two arches, with the main (western) arch being larger, reaching a height of 7.50 meters. The bridge's total length is about 41 m. and its width 3.10 m. The road that once crossed the bridge was called "Vasiliki Strata" and served as the route for merchant caravans to Thessaly.
Pramoritsa Bridge
A distinctive bridge thanks to its location is that of Pramoritsa. This beautiful bridge lies on the boundary between the regional units of Grevena (to which it belongs) and Kozani, on the Pramoritsa River, a tributary of the Aliakmon, between the villages of Klimataki and Anthochori. The bridge has four arches, with the northern one being the main arch, with a clear span of 15 m. and a height of 9 m. Oral tradition dates the bridge's initial construction to around 1870 to 1880, funded by a Vlach head shepherd who, while crossing the river, lost his only daughter to the river's rushing waters. It is said that he then gave the money for the bridge to be built.
Stavropotamos Bridge
The Stavropotamos Bridge was built around 1880 on the Stavropotamos River, a tributary of the Venetikos. It's easily accessible and visible from the road. It has four large, uneven semicircular arches. Its length reaches 48 m., its width 3.70 m., and the span of its largest arch is 6.90 m. According to tradition, caravans used to cross this bridge on their way to Thessaloniki or Ioannina.
Dotsiko Bridge
The single-arched stone bridge in Dotsiko is one of the most distinctive, as it's built at the highest elevation of all the stone bridges in Macedonia and is the only one in the area located within a settlement. Beneath its arch flows the Dotsikiotis River, a tributary of the Venetikos, which divides the village into two neighborhoods. The bridge is thought to have been built in 1804 and is attributed to craftsmen from Ioannina. A second version says it was built around 1870 by masons from Dotsiko and Kalloni. It is 24 meters long, 4 meters wide, and just 4 meters high. In the late '70s, many scenes of Theodoros Angelopoulos's film 'Alexander the Great' were shot in the village.
