Varousi – The Old, Good Trikala

Memories of an aristocratic past and deep folk songs walk hand in hand through the narrow, picturesque alleys of the old town that spreads along the foothills of the Byzantine Castle of Trikala.

Neighborhoods named “Varousi” (or “Varosi”) can be found in several cities of Greece and the Balkans. They usually mark the old Christian quarters that formed mainly during the Ottoman era, around a castle or fortress.

Of course, Trikala’s old town has an even more ancient history, as evidenced by its many churches and, most intriguingly, by the ancient secrets hidden beneath them. However, the heyday of Varousi is placed between the 17th and 19th centuries, when most of the mansions that visitors admire today were built.

These two-story, tiled-roof houses, with sachnisia (bay windows) and hayatia (balconies), featuring stone masonry on the ground floor and wooden-framed walls on the upper floor, offer a free journey through time.

baroysi palia kala trikala

Wander aimlessly—don’t look for anything specific, don’t even glance at the large Clock Tower of the fortress. Just let yourself be carried away by the magical atmosphere of Trikala’s old town.

Above all, don’t go searching for “the two alleys” where the great Trikala-born Vassilis Tsitsanis “sets” the murder of Sakaflias in his famous song. The legendary mángas and “Rudolph Valentino of the city” most likely met his end inside the prison, where he had been sent due to his provocative—whatever that may mean—behavior.