2.5 Epirus – Greece

Epirus - Greece 2.5 Epirus – Greece Ass. Prof. Konstantina Bada, Constantinos A. Pappas / Efi G. Dalla Thomas F. Lolis* 2.5.1 Cultural wine routes in Epirus: dialogue and development routes 2.5.1.1 Introduction: the cultural contents of tourism The cultures of Europe are interwoven and e.g. initiatives for the definition of new cultural have influenced one another. The awareness of routes of tourism), the E.U. aims to gain a better the specific cultural identity of each country knowledge of the cultural and agricultural can lead to the awareness of the European traditions of the Regions as to their successful cultural identity and its common heritage and development, stressing at the same time the foster mutual comprehension. Moreover an importance of an efficient organization and a efficient cooperation taking into account the qualitative outcome of cultural tourism. The protection and the appropriate exploitation of term efficient organization refers to the Europe's cultural variety and its shared charac- insertion of tourism in the community, cul- teristics certainly constitutes the basic factor tural, development, environmental, etc. policies underlying the discovery and the under- and the improvement of the cooperation standing of the contemporary European reality, coordination between enterprises, the public a major lever at its turn for the improvement of bodies and the local administration authorities. the economic and social cohesion and employ- The deriving benefits can be of great impor- ment. Cultural Tourism as other forms of tance (protection of the cultural heritage, alternative tourism converges towards a unique employment in the cultural sector, economic direction. The period running from 1990, development, holding of the population, in- which saw the European Year of Tourism, until crease of the citizens’ educational and living today, witnesses a steadily growing interest standards, advertising and international recog- regarding the cultural contents of tourism nition and so on...). In other countries the (UNESCO , 1987; COCOSSIS / NIJKAMP, 1995; support actions for the development of tourism BOISSEVAIN, 1996; IGOUMENIDIS, 1996; PAULO- with a cultural content have already been POULOS, 1999) Henceforth, through the adop- taken. tion of appropriate measures, (reinforcement * Prof. K. Bada is the author of the paragraph2.5.1, C. Pappas / E. Dalla / T. Lolis are the authors of the paragraph 2.5.2. 1 BWR – Routes for tourism and culture 2.5.1.2 Towards the cultural routes of wine in Greece In Greece, although there has been much talk Fact that a region’s cultural heritage isn’t only about the importance and the updating of the gauged by the high cultural achievements of touristproduct aiming at an efficient and the past andthe present. The way of life, the qualitative management, tourism with a cultural culture of every day life, the wine and bread, content1 is still aquite new concept. Generally the pre-industrialtechnology, the traditional the main form of alternative tourism, dispensing gastronomy and cuisine make up the deter- once more scarcepositive results, was achieved minant features of each place’scultural through ecotourism (VAFIADIS / KONTOGEORGOS / identity. PAPAKONSTANTINIDIS,1992; IGOUMENIDIS, 1996). To know these features has an important Nonetheless, more recently, tourism with a impact on the awareness of the necessity of cultural and especially ecological content is theirmaintenance and leads to the awareness developingat a brisk pace (AVGERINOU, 1995, 104- of a common European tradition and cultural 111). In any case the tendency towards the experience. History shows that the European cultural tourismis encouraged by the agricultural routes2 on which proliferated e.g. wine, oil, and regional policy of the country, the interest of and other foodproducts were essentially the public itself,the development instances and routes which carried cultural goods, ideas, the Administration by means of the existing techniques, religions, worldtheories and on its financing resources(Community Funds and crossroads we can suppose that ancient National Sources). Furthermore a discussion is civilizations met (LOGOTHETIS, 1975). Atthe under way which suggests atourist development same time, these were goods which through linked to the paths of civilization, respecting the their social circulation wrote their own cultural identity of theendogenous population, biography (KOPYTOFF, 1986, 64-91; APPADURAI, and related to the concept of sustainability. 1986, 3-63), inevitably defined by history and Before presenting the tracing of the cultural the culturaltradition from their country of Routes of wine in Epirus, it is useful to stress the origin. Seferis said that if you decomposed Greece, you would be left with a vintage (DETIENNE, 1993), an olive and a ship. 1 For an anthropological approach of tourism and the theoretical discussion which is prompted on the subject of the made up substance of the cultural offered „product” or its „authentic” existence and the importance which the cultural construction of authenticity or the made up attraction acquire for the tourist himself (GALANI / MOUTAFI, 1995, 28-39; COHEN, 1988, 317-378). 2 Wine consumption regards the whole of Europe. We find of course differentiated consumption and cultural behaviors between North and South. In the north, e.g. wine is drunk in great quantities and preferred with a high degree of spirit content. It isn’t accessible to all, at least until the 18th century, but there is a high consumption rate. This last fact presupposes the existence of an important commerce from the south through sea and other water ways. Succeeding to the apparition of new manners which distinguished the social and cultural behavior of the powerful and secured the conservation of the hierarchical and social distances (as the quality was based on the age of the wine, e.g. the refined taste, production of Champaign, the way of serving and drinking etc.), wine in the north of Europe, for a long period, became the luxury of the poor. As regards the production though, it covers the whole of the Mediterranean countries and an area which expanded consistently to the north through a big artery starting from Liguria and ending in Crimea. Outside Europe, vintage and wine followed the Europeans in their long travels and later on after much insistence it was imbedded in Mexico, Chili, Peru, and along the Atlantic between the old and the new world. (ANAGNOSTAKIS, 2000, 252-265 where we find the charts of the itineraries from the 15th to the 17th century). An insistent refusal was encountered by the Islam although there was a certain diffusion of wine but under the conditions of the illegal traveler. (BRAUDEL, 1995, 244-250). 2 Epirus - Greece According to Maytvejevich Bredrag in his on Greek, barbarian, Christian and pagan „Mediterranean Survey“, we are talking about monuments, on Roman sculptures, in the art of the products which since their long historical the Middle Ages and on Byzantine tombstone itinerary nourish the spirit (MATVEJEVICH, 1998). sculpture, on altars, on temples, Christian icons More in particular, referring to the vintage and and the kneeling desks are encountered in the grape, he notes that the leaves, the vines and adoration and laudatory writings of the the clusters which are represented repeatedly Scriptures. 2.5.1.3 The mountainous region of Epirus The mountain regions in Greece cover more The mountain regions in Greece cover Fig. 1 than 42 % of the total state. Actually Greece is more than 42 % the first mountainous country in the EE. Although the mountain areas of Greece are abundant in various resources, as these concentrate the most of the natural resources (64 % of the forests, 51 % of the pastureland, 18 % of the agrarian land), only 9 % of the population lives in the mountainous regions and 37 % of them are over than the 65 years old (inventory 1991). Specifically in Epirus the 90 % of its territory is mountainous (Fig. 1). The geo-morphological character of Epirus created special conditions which affect the pursuit of human activities and specific cultural characteristics. Nevertheless, looking at the history of the policy for the development Source: ??? of the agricultural and moreover of the mountainous regions in Greece, it became obvious that the mountainous and inferior Map of Epirus: 90 % of its territory is Fig. 2 areas did not constitute a separate subject of mountainous specialized national development policy, that had been planned specifically for them and according to their special problems and to their endogenous dynamic. Actually the perspective of viable development in mountainous areas was reinforced in the last decade which put emphasis on the endogenous power of the mountainous world, on the activation of this power as well as on the creation of an attitude towards continuous development. Epirus has the internal dynamic to materialize this type of development. Therefore the cultural tourism that is based on the history and the culture of the place, and on the respect of the local cultural identity could contribute to this. Source: ??? 3 BWR – Routes for tourism and culture 2.5.1.4 From the tourist wine routes to the cultural routes The tracing of cultural wine routes can heritage), sport and wine, celebrations and wine, constitute one of the most relevant actions etc. As an example one could mention the Italian in Epirus for the exploitation of its culture Wine tourism Association (Movimento del Tou- and for the viable development of its region rismo del Vino) founded in 1993, consisting of (KOMILIS, 1995, 77-80; KOKKONIS, 1995, 21- almost 600 wine fabricants, restaurant owners, 27). Until now, in Epirus, in Greece and journalists and members of the Mass Media, which elsewhere3, a form of „wine tourism” has has promoted the above-mentioned combined logic, been developed which is mainly centered achieving promising results in the implementation on the visits of vintages, wine distilleries, areas. the visitor’s tasting of delectable wine In Greece, until now there are many vintages open products and the local cuisine.

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