THE VLACH VILLAGES NEAR SAMARINA are Turia
circle
and Baieasa.
As to the morals
local cynics give their verdict thus.
hatred tion
?
Avdheliats rob by guile
;
—
;
Perivoliats rob
by
—
force
;
is
Smiksiats
179
of the four kill
through
this the result of educa-
Samariniats are skilful and
This estimate is probably libellous, but need not for that reason be entirely untrue. Between Perivoli and Turia the next important village to
successful liars.
the south there
is
little
to be noticed.
We
leave Perivoli
Ghrevena which we follow down the valley as far as the monastery of St Nicholas. Here according to several accounts services in Roumanian instead of Greek were held as far back as 1867, but the building is now in ruins and was used some few years ago by a band of brigands lying in wait for the Perivoliat families on their way home in the spring. Just beyond the monastery we turn southwards through some of the finest of the Perivoli woods and passing a few saw mills after some two hours' walking cross a steep ridge and emerge by the poverty-stricken hamlet of Labanitsa. Labanitsa possesses some vineyards and a few fields of hay and maize is situated in an open valley which under more
by the main track
favourable cultivation.
to
should be capable of successful good and deep, there is abundance of around are well timbered. Despite these
circumstances
The
soil is
water and the hills the natural advantages the village is in a poor condition houses are in a state of decay and its inhabitants exist rather than live. The people of Labanitsa are Kupatshari, who have been described in an earlier chapter. Hence up the valley to Turia is a short three hours through country very pleasant to look upon. Turia or as the Greeks call it Krania is a good-looking and prosperous village considering its position near the old Grse co-Turkish frontier and on the high road between Yannina and Ghrevena. It lies at the foot of a group of hills adjoining the Pindus range to the northeast of Metsovo and the stream that runs through it is a tributary of the Venetiko. The meaning of Turia the Vlach name Krania the of the village is, as far as we can tell, unknown. ;
Greek name means cornel circumstance.
A
tree,
and arose from the following
large cornel tree used to stand just outside