Dodoni: The Ancient Oracle of Epirus

Worth a stop on your drive towards the South

I visited Dodoni about ten years ago. I should definitely make another stop soon. I didn't know what to expect back than.

Dodoni is in Epirus, about 22 kilometres south of Ioannina, set in a wide valley surrounded by mountains. It's one of the oldest oracle sites in Greece, older than Delphi. The oracle here wasn't read from smoke or entrails. It was read from the rustling of a sacred oak tree. Priests listened to the leaves. That was the answer.

I stood where that tree once was and found the idea more affecting than I expected.

Dodoni Ancient Theatre

What's there

The theatre is the first thing that stops you. It's enormous. One of the largest in ancient Greece, built in the 3rd century BC under Pyrrhus, King of Epirus. It seats around 17,000 people and sits in almost complete silence today, with nothing around it except mountains and open sky.

Beyond the theatre are the ruins of the sanctuary of Zeus. Foundations, columns, the outline of what was once a significant religious complex. It takes some imagination, but the setting does most of the work.

Why it's worth the detour

Dodoni

Dodoni gets far fewer visitors than it deserves. No crowds, no queues. Just an open archaeological site in a beautiful valley with one of the most intact ancient theatres you'll find anywhere in Greece.

On the road towards Chilliadou, if we are your final destination

If you're driving down from Thessaloniki or anywhere in northern Greece, Ioannina is a natural stop. It is one of the most interesting cities in the north, built on a lake, with a long Ottoman history and very good food. Dodoni is 22 kilometres from there. An hour's detour, at most, and a very good reason to leave a little earlier.

We'll be suggesting it to every guest who asks what to see on the way down, or we can take you there ourselves through one of our tours that soon will be available on the site.