Stoa Liampei

Stoa Liampei rose from the ashes of an 1869 fire that destroyed most of Ioannina’s old market- the new shops were built with stone and had arched doors of thick iron, large windows and cellars, fortified against future disasters in a city already steeped in turmoil. The city had long traded with Italy- particularly with Venice and Livorno, and local merchants grew wealthy enough to finance schools and mansions. The stoa (basically a covered arcade or passageway lined with shops) served as the architectural answer to keeping business humming rain or shine.

Today, people visit the elegant tunnel at 47 Anexartisias Street more for enjoyment than for the commercial trades that were its initial purpose, wandering through what was once the nerve center of a city that punched far above its weight.

The arcade is still home to shops and commerce, just swap silversmithing for cocktails and Venetian trade routes for tourists chasing the ghost of Route 66.