Kastoria is steeped in history and is undeniably one of the most beautiful towns in Greece.

Recent finds in Pantavriso have shown that the area of Kastoria in Ancient Times played an active role in the 'hellenisation' of Greece, though Orestida was an independent kingdom. More obviously, it attracted the Byzantine Emperors who loved its location (and sometimes sent people into exile there), and there are many examples of Byzantine churches and wall frescoes. In the Post-Byzantine period it became part of the Ottoman Empire, and again was often a place of exile for dissenters.
Kastoria's modern claim to fame is tied up with war. First of all, the Nazis sent most of the town's large Jewish population to the concentration camps. Then it was a battleground during the Greek Civil War of 1946-9.
Unfortunately for those who feel strongly about fur, the tradition of furs goes back many centuries. Don't be put off, the town is not worth missing. For a very potted history and some photographs of the place and the churches, eighteenth-century mansions, and so on, try
http://www.kastoriagr.com/
http://www.macedonia.info/kastoria.htm