The tiny villages of Prespa (NW Greece) lie scattered across an unparalleled natural environment of high mountains and lake basins. These villages form unique sociocultural ecosystems with a rich history—both medieval and contemporary—and vibrant communities at the heart of an ever-changing landscape, real and imagined. Local inhabitants follow their own rhythms and everyday rituals, creating narratives deeply tied to space and place. Conversely, the constructed spaces of these villages reflect, in more ways than one, the communities’ lived experience.
In the walkshop series “Prespa 2025 – Walks and Stories”, which took place within the framework of the International Prespa Walking Arts Encounters 2025 (WAC 25), we focused on the villages of Laimos and Pyli. Each walkshop functioned as a participatory, public-space walking intervention, designed to explore the place together with local residents—following routes they suggested and seeing their neighborhoods through their eyes.Integrating walking art and research, the walkshops consisted of four distinct yet interrelated processes—walking, experiential exercises, discussion, and observation—keeping a flexible structure that encouraged spontaneous expression.
The walkshops revealed two very different, even contrasting, stories. During our walk in Laimos, we met and spoke with residents who kindly shared their experiences of the place and their everyday lives. Our conversation ranged from concerns about young people—especially women—leaving the village, to the challenges and beauties of life in the high mountains, particularly during winter. Above all, they communicated their love for their home, Prespes. In addition to their openness, friendliness, and delightful sense of humor, our local friends also revealed hidden artistic talents.
At their suggestion, we followed a route to the church of Aghios Ioannis, just outside the village, immersing ourselves in both the natural and the built environments of Laimos. We were rewarded with a magnificent view of both Megali and Mikri Prespa, and a small surprise: a lone grave (a rarity in modern Greece) belonging to a much-loved priest of earlier times. Situated atop the hill behind the church, the memorial overlooks the plain and bears verses on the meaning of life.
The story that emerged from our walk in Pyli was dramatically different. Arriving at a time of day when most villagers were tending their fields, we found ourselves in a settlement that was quasi-deserted. This unique condition led us down a very special path—both literally and artistically.
As we walked through the empty village, we allowed it to take center stage, becoming the tangible, physical Story/Stories that the community had created for themselves to live in. As visitors, we set out to uncover and re-interpret this Story, while simultaneously generating our own Stories in response. We took time to focus and rediscover our body and spirit through breathing and experiential exercises. Moving through the village as embodied participants, wandering within this constructed narrative, we added imagination to discussion and observation, effectively creating a walking intervention.
While walking through the villages of Prespa, personal experiences, daily rituals, and spontaneous encounters between locals and visitors formed a shared ritual of “Walks and Stories.” This collective experience redefined both place and space and reintroduced contemporary Prespa as a realm both real and imagined, as a lived space, and as a way of life.
