Gyftokampos is an area ιn the Zagori

Zagori

Zagori , is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...

 region (Epirus region

Epirus (region)

Epirus is a geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe, shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay of Vlorë in the north to the Ambracian Gulf in the south...

), 58 km north of Ioannina

Ioannina

Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...

. Its name is derived from the Greek "gyftos" (γύφτος), gypsy and "kampos" that means "field", and could be rendered in English translation as "gypsy lea". There used to be a hamlet called Nouka on this location which was also used by the Sarakatsani

Sarakatsani

The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...

 as pasture grounds. The area, located at the base of Mt Tymfi

Tymfi

Tymfi or Mt Tymphe, Timfi, also Tymphi is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and lies in the region of Zagori, just a few meters south of the 40° parallel...

, has traditionally belonged to the village of Skamneli

Skamneli

Skamneli is a village in the Zagori region , 54 km north of Ioannina. It is built in the fringes of mountain Tymfi , at a height of 1160 m.- Name :...

 and it forms part of the municipality of Tymfi

Tymfi

Tymfi or Mt Tymphe, Timfi, also Tymphi is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and lies in the region of Zagori, just a few meters south of the 40° parallel...

.

History

Until the early 20th century, the area was open and used as a grazing ground by the Sarakatsani

Sarakatsani

The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...

 . It has become gradually wooded by coniferous trees, including impressive Scots pine

Scots Pine

Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...

s. Huts of Sarakatsani

Sarakatsani

The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...

 were in use until the 1990s. Today an open air "museum" with typical Sarakatsani huts and animal enclosures has been built. The area is used for an annual Sarakatsani

Sarakatsani

The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...

festival in the first week of August.

Sources

• www.timfi.gov.gr (in Greek)