I’m sure you’ve heard many extraordinary tales about fairies and their great love for lakes, rivers, cataracts, wells, cisterns, ponds. But this story is not a fairy tale. It is life itself with a small difference: dressed with “a fairy’s veil”…
The “Sterna” (in Greek means cistern) of our story is about the most fabulous little shop of the Pindus mountains.

It’s located at Kapesovo village, in the heart of the Zagorohoria greater area. You will find it hosted in the little house that was built over the old cistern of 1848 (which glows illuminated in the center of the store). The cistern is the stone extension of the majestic old church of St. Nicholas.

“Well, and who are the fairies of our little story?” I…can hear you… wondering.

The fairies of the “Kapesovo cistern” are the three ladies from the Papageorgiou family: Anna, the mother, and her two daughters: Ellie and Gianna. Why are they fairies? But because they run a most magical shop! So small but at the same time filled with pastries, wines, jars, colorful necklaces, shiny jewelry, nice little toys, decorative items filled with romance and grace, little lights, flashes, smells: a real “fairy tale cave” in Kapesovo village.

 

 

Anna smiles to everyone. «The contact with all these people is extremely interesting. A very charming give-and-take» she says. «We all love this job. It’s very satisfying to get what the earth offers you and offer it back gracefully».

Anything edible which is sold at the “Sterna” is a handmaded “work of art” by the Papageorgiou family. With an almost unbelievable patience they gather their own berries, the herbs that they will dry, and their small farming production. They make their own traditional “sweets of the pan” (pispi, ravani, wallnut cake, itsli, baklava, santakli, stafidato), the famous fruit sweets (cranberries, quinces, morello cherries, blueberries, cherries, citrus fruit) jams, numerous liqueurs and some quite rare ones (as the orange-coffee liqueur and the kantharella mushroom liqueur!), kydonopasta sweets, frumenty with organic flour, wines, spirits, the molasses, and the “pie molasses”.

Gianna – a professional chef- takes care of all the fresh edibles but especially of the elaborate cooking. Ellie – an art conservator & craftswoman – stays mostly at the “Sterna” and makes all the jewelry, ornaments, at the same time takes care of the whole decoration.

 

 

 

It would be at least unfair to write about the “fairies” without mentioning their good “wizard”, the father of the family, the generous and open-minded Thucydides Papageorgiou. He is a philologist. But he never lost touch of his village and of all those things that he learned here as a kid.

“I had a great relationship as a child with my grandmother. Everything I did here with her was like a game: gathering berries, mushrooms, herbs, taking the goats to graze, making cheese, wine, raki, vinegar, molasses, frumenty. Of course I still find today myself playing the same game… “ Yes, you understood that. He eagerly participates in all the projects of his family I was telling you before… He is also responsible for the excellent wine and the equally superbly distilled raki.

 

 

 

He tells me the story of the cistern and the very good hostel “Thucydides”, which is owned by the family (I will write about that in the near future elsewhere).

“People enjoy the sunshine and the enormous collection of tidbits with a shot of raki at the tables of the shop, which we spread on the square. Every visitor of the village comes just here, at “Sterna” to share in joy our offerings.”

“If you see a traveller at the square of Kapesovo village 95 percent he is coming here,” boasts Thucydides. “The success of “Sterna” is a source of life for Kapesovo.” He is right. First because two young people live and prosper in the village, secondly because 4 more people were added to the declining population of Kapesovo and thirdly because the “Sterna” shop is a magnet for people and money to the village.

It sounds like “a promising lie” huh? No…on the contrary, it’s true genuine magic.

Anyway I told you that I will write about fairies, didn’t I?

 

 

 

 

 

Where am I?

Kapesovo is one of the Zagorohoria group of villages (belongs to the Central Zagorohoria). The quickest way to get there is by road through Ioannina. More information about the “Sterna” at the tel: +30 6979983798.