Voidomatis river and Aristi bridge
Voidomatis is a river in the Ioannina regional unit in northwestern Greece, and is a tributary of the Aoös river.
The main current sources are located under the village of Vikos. Along its path it converges with other water currents originating from the banks of Tymfi or the Vikos Gorge it ends close to Konitsa. The river has a total length of 15 kilometers.
The name Voidomatis (meaning: the eye of the ox), derives from the fact that oxen have clear blue eyes, like the waters of this river. Also, there is the Slavic etymology: Bode–Mat which means “good water”.
Voidomatis has been characterized as one of the cleanest rivers in Europe as it does not face any environmental issues.
The Voidomatis is mostly seasonal, with year-round flow. The average temperature of the water does not exceed 4 °C.
It crosses one of the most beautiful natural locations of Greece and has been part of the Vikos–Aoös National Park since 1973. The river is known for water sports such as rafting and kayaking.
The river is spanned by a number of stone bridges, such as the Aristi Bridge, just after the homonymous village on the road to the villages of Mikro and Megalo Papigo.
The single-arched bridge was built in 1923 from cement as the previous stone bridge collapsed, at the expense of the community of Papigo village.
Map of the area
