On this episode of “Wander Words” we traveled through the highlands of Aetolia-Acarnania, north of Nafpaktos, to a village tucked away in the quiet of the forest, on the western foothills of Mount Vardousia.
Ano Chora village in Nafpaktia became particularly popular in recent decades, after one of its locals urged his children to invest in building a hotel and change the destiny of their homeland. Today, the village is exceptionally appealing and widely loved, even though reaching it requires leaving the coastal road that leads across western Aetolia-Acarnania and driving uphill for roughly another hour, along a winding route.
Mr. Athanasios Reppas, President of the Municipal Unit of Ano Chora of the Municipality of Nafpaktia, spoke about the village, its history, and its local cuisine. Mr. Andreas Papaioannidis, President of the Ano Chora Cultural Association, discussed the sights and the story behind the business that transformed the village’s trajectory in recent years, and also referred to the stone watermill and the folklore museum.
One of the village’s most distinctive hangouts is the “Friends of Stelios Kazantzidis Corner,” whose operation is overseen by Mr. Antonis Petsinis. It is a gathering place created out of the passion and devotion of an Ano Chora native living in the United States in the late 2000s.
At the end of the program, we spoke with the head of the Ano Chora Health Center, General Practitioner Mr. Giorgos Kokkinos, who explained what it is like to spend the entire year—through dramatic shifts in weather and conditions—in such a unique place, offering healthcare services that are vital both to the village’s residents and its visitors.