Folklore Museum of Metsovo

Ο Evangelos Averof-Tositsas with the resources of the Michalis Tositsas Foundation in 1948 completely changed the image of Metsovo which in the 1950s was heartbreaking. He planted hundreds of thousands of firs - then the place was treeless -, built a new dairy, a exemplary cheese factory even sending the cheesemakers to learn cheese-making in Italy, he planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon in Greece and built a winery, a wood sawmill, a unique workshop and station of sale of traditional weavers, a ski resort with a cable car (in Karagoli, , the Averofio Garden, the conference center "Diaselo", sewerage network, lighting in the main streets, a student dormitory in Athens and the E. Averoff Gallery and of course the Folklore Museum of Metsovo.

From the first steps inside the Museum, one enters the heart of the culture of Metsovo, the "living" witness of an era and a way of life, which today seems distant and forgotten. The Folklore Museum of Metsovo is housed on the three floors Tositsa Mansion and it is, in fact, a "museum of itself."

The Mansion dates from the 17th century, while with additions and repairs it was maintained until 1950, when it was completely rebuilt thanks to the funding of the Baron Michael Tositsa Foundation and the initiatives of Evangelos Averof, who took over its management.

At the Folklore Museum of Metsovo tours They are made by tour guides-scientists (Theodoros and Maria) whose every suggestion hides behind them scales of knowledge and they are available to answer our every question.

The tour starts from the ground floor, from the stable where the family horses were stable. The main exhibits were the elaborate saddles of horses, and a multitude of bells, samples of the art of ringing. Bells with special sounds to identify the animals of the herds depending on their species and in what phase they were (if they were in danger, if they were running, etc.). Next to it is the food storage and next to it is the kitchen with the big built-in oven.

From the family lounges (which were divided into summer and winter, with the second ones without windows to keep warm) to the large second floor lounges for the holidays, one can understand the magnitude of the wealth and glamor that the family enjoyed Tositsa. Impressive is the social gathering room (lounge) where the guests depending on their social position sat near the fireplace to warm up (from here came "he is from a fireplace").

On the third floor of the mansion were the personal spaces of Evangelos Averof-Tositsa (office, dining room, living room, bedroom) and here are exhibited some of his personal belongings (his passports, his revolver but also his characteristic slip and tsarouchia), such as and photos from his long political career

Throughout the museum there are organized traditional wood-carved furniture, woven and embroidery, gold-embroidered costumes, decorative and useful objects, weapons, swords, coins, agricultural utensils, icons, and excellent specimens of the continental silversmith (etc.). ).

Without a doubt, the Folklore Museum of Metsovo is the best place to swim in the history of the glorious family, but also of Metsovo in general.

Opening hours: Daily except Thursday
Winter season: 09.00 - 13.30, 15.00 - 17.00
Summer season: 09.00 - 13.30, 16.00 - 18.00