Ioannina (Greek: Ιωάννινα, IPA: [io'anina], often Γιάννενα, ['ʝanena]) is a city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a metropolitan population of approximately 100,000, and lies at an elevation of 600 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Ioannina Prefecture and of Epirus, lying on the western side of lake Pamvotis (Παμβώτιδα). Ioannina is located 450 km northwest of Athens, 290 km southwest of Thessaloniki and 80 km east of the port of Igoumenitsa in the Ionian Sea. The city has both a General and a University Hospital, and is the seat of the University of Ioannina (situated 5 km south of the city, with 17 departments and 20,000 students) as well as several departments of the Τechnological Educational Institute of Epirus , the headquarters of which are located in Arta. The city's emblem consists of the portrait of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian crowned by a stylized depiction of the nearby ancient theatre of Dodoni. Of the two name forms in Greek, Ioannina is the formal name in its historically original shape, while the colloquial Jannena or Jannina represents the vernacular tradition of Demotic Greek. The demotic form also corresponds to those in the neighbouring languages (e.g. Albanian: Janinë, Aromanian: Ianina, Turkish: Yanya).
The island of Ioannina, located in lake Pamvotis, is a traditional settlement .
This little island has been a centre of monastic life. Monasteries, decorated with remarkable frescoes, were built during the 13th century.
The Island, can be reached by boats leaving regularly from Ioannina lakefront .The journey takes about 10 minutes. The island has restaurants, serving eel, trout and other local specialties.
